The Boy with Sixteen Quirks
by TheGreatMightyPoo
Summary: A transfer student has arrived at class 1-A! Well... more like seventeen, but in one body. Can Jaxon adjust to life on a high school campus, while at the same time avoiding or possibly defeating villainy all across the city? Review with any suggestions you may have! All input is needed and appreciated! The story will be updated as I watch MHA in real life, so stay tuned!
1. Chapter 1

Izuku Midoriya and Ochako Uraraka were in classroom 1-A one afternoon, waiting for their hero training class with All Might to begin. Yesterday's battle simulation had been an absolute disaster. Izuku had broken three of his limbs fighting Katsuki Bakugou, and Ochako had used her gravity control too much and hurled in the sight of her supposed enemy, Tenya Iida.

Suddenly, Ochako glanced up from her notes to look out the door. "Who's that?" she asked. "There's a kid out there talking with All Might."

Mina Ashido followed Uraraka's gaze. "Ooh! He's cute!" she exclaimed happily. "Is he coming into our class? Please say yes, please say yes..."

"He does look _tres chic,_ and very young, too, but that does not necessarily mean he is a student, _non_?" countered Yuga Aoyama. "For all we know, he is a teacher, or even a separate member of the faculty."

" _Ribbit!_ But he's wearing a student uniform," Tsuyu Asui shot back. "The teachers wear their hero outfits to class, and they can even choose which ones they wear. Why would a teacher choose to wear something that their pupils are all wearing, knowing that they could be wearing the uniform that they use for hero work?"

"Good point." Yuga sighed. "Observant as always, _mon ami_. But then, who is he?"

Fortunately, All Might spared the class any more suspense by opening the door and ushering the boy in. "Good news, class!" he exclaimed. "Number one, I am here! Number two, we have a new transfer student today! Please welcome Jaxon Sachizado!"

The kid brushed a swath of brown hair out of his eyes. He looked as though he was about to have a headache, and a big one. "Hi, guys," he murmured. "I'm Jaxon."

"Tell us a little about yourself," exclaimed Hanta Sera.

"Oh, yes, please do!" added Ashido, her already pink face turning even pinker.

Jaxon smiled. "Well, I just moved here from Minato a few days ago. I got to my house during the time slot of the practical exams, so I wasn't able to participate."

"What's your Quirk?" This, surprisingly, was Kacchan.

Jaxon nodded at Kacchan. "I have a number of abilities," he answered.

The class went silent. Denki Kaminari was the first to speak. "Multiple Quirks? How is that possible?"

Jaxon shook his head. "You're thinking in the wrong direction. My technical Quirk is called T.A.C., or Total Ability Copy, and it gives me the ability to copy others' Quirks. However, I don't always have someone with a useful Quirk at my disposal. So I bring these with me." He produced a statue that looked like some kind of green knight. "I touch the bottom of this statue, and..." He touched the bottom with one finger. Instantly, he transformed. He was now around six foot four, and had two curved swords at his sides, as well as his hair having changed to a platinum blonde. "Voila."

The students gasped. Tsu cocked her head. " _Ribbit!_ What abilities can you use with those?"

"Currently, I believe there are sixteen or seventeen. They vary. Some are elemental, others are melee attacks, others change my actual form."

"Is it physically possible to use more than one at a time?" Kacchan was on a roll today.

"With enough training, I will indeed be able to combine my attacks. However, if I do it right now, I will suffer an attack similar to a stroke, but entirely in my brain. As a result, I can only use one at a time. That's alright, because I usually only need one to do a job. However, there is one other side effect."

He turned back into his normal form. "When I use one of these statues, I become a totally different person, with a completely different personality. When one of my personas isn't in use, it uses my brain as a host. Having seventeen people inside me takes a big toll on my mind, and I get migraines a _lot_. So if I hold my head when I'm near you, it's not because you're boring, it's because I'm in pain."

Ashido almost fainted. "He's adorable, and his Quirk is amazing! I like him already!" she whispered to Yuga.

" _Oui_ , well, you will have to decide which _him_ you like pretty soon, because the other girls are beginning to see him the way you do, if I am seeing them right."

Yuga really didn't appear to be seeing the other girls right. Ochako was listening attentively, but didn't look lovestruck, at least not as much as Ashido. Momo Yaoyorozo wasn't even listening. Tsu looked completely deadpan, as ever, and Toru was... well, invisible. Kyoko Jiro was the only girl who looked mildly interested in Jaxon's looks, but that was only visible through a slight smirk.

Minoru Mineta, who was silent until now, spoke up. "What happens to your mind when you copy someone else's Quirk?"

"Good question." Jaxon nodded. "Usually, nothing happens. However, when I copy someone with an ability similar to one of mine, such as..." He looked around. "Who among you has elemental Quirks, like fire, ice, water, or electricity?"

Kacchan, Todoroki, and Kaminari raised their hands.

Jaxon nodded at Kacchan. "You. Uh, the blonde. What's your Quirk? Something to do with fire?"

"Explosions."

"Perfect." Jaxon turned back to the class. "Say I were to copy him. I would turn into my Fire personality, since his Quirk involves fire. However, my _moveset_ would be more of a mix between mine and his."

All Might stepped in. "Alright, that's enough grilling for one day. We need to get to our lesson. Today, we'll be doing..." He pulled a card out of his pocket. "Rescue training!" He motioned to Jaxon. "While I explain, you can take a seat. Next to Midoriya, I believe there's an empty one. Unless that's Toru's seat."

"I'm wearing a uniform!" Toru whined, halfway across the room from the empty seat. "You should be able to see me!"

All Might laughed. "We all make mistakes! Now, have a seat."

Jaxon obeyed, sitting next to Izuku. The boy had one hand on his head, as he'd explained, but he was staring intently at All Might, listening to the instructions.

"Alright, here's what's going down today! You will be taken by bus to an off-campus facility. Unfortunately, I will be unable to join you there in person, as I have a lot of paperwork I need to fill out because of our new hero-in-training. Mr. Aizawa will be taking my place, but I'll make sure he's not too much of a... how did you word it, Ms. Asui?"

"Buzzkill." Tsu twirled her finger by her head.

"Ah, yes. Anyways, in this facility, you will be trained on how to handle rescue missions in a large number of disasters, such as windstorms, landslides, wildfires, shipwrecks, and more."

Jaxon raised his hand. "Quick question," he said weakly. "Shouldn't the missions involve combat too?"

"Erm... why do you say that?" asked All Might.

"Well, one of the situations you named was a shipwreck. Don't villains cause a lot of those? Landslides and fires, too, depending on their Quirks. It would make a lot more sense and train us a lot more thoroughly if we had to take out mock villains in some of these trials as well. Not all of them, but the ones that could be man-made."

All Might was speechless for a second. Finally he gathered his wits. "That's... an excellent point. I suppose, ideally, that is how it should be done. However, to create mock villains for the exercise would cost much more money and resources-"

"Then another idea is, split the students up, like you did with the battles. Put teams of two 'hero' students against one 'villain'. The ultimate goal will be either to take out the opposing side, or for the heroes, to rescue every target. The heroes will try to rescue as many people as possible, while the villain will try to stop them, as well as to capture them."

The entire class was staring at Jaxon at this point. This time, Ashido really did faint.

All Might cleared his throat and stared in wonder. "You... seem to know a lot about these sorts of exercises," he exclaimed.

"Well, no, but my dad was a pro hero for a long time. He wasn't famous, but he was pretty successful. He taught me everything he knew."

"Well, then! I will take your advice into account!" All Might's grin widened. "To the buses!"

The class got up and began to file toward the door. Ochako and Izuku stayed behind. Mainly to wake up the still-unconscious Ashido, but also to talk to Jaxon.

"Well, like All Might said, welcome to the UA!" Izuku exclaimed, while Ochako tried to wake Ashido up.

"Thanks." Jaxon got up and walked over to Ashido. "I think I know how to do this," he murmured. He pulled another statue out of his pocket. This one looked like a set of pointed, blue diamonds. He touched the bottom of the statue, and his skin and hair turned blue. He took a deep breath and blew a cloud of frost in Ashido's direction.

She shivered and woke up. "Ochako? What's-" She saw Jaxon (or Chill, as this form was known,) and almost passed out again.

"Hey, don't conk out on me again!" Ochako exclaimed. "We're getting on the buses for rescue training."

"Alright..." Ashido got up, a bit wobbly. She glanced at Chill and blushed. "Th-thanks," she said, almost breathless, both from the cold and from the fact that the cutest guy she'd ever seen had just indirectly given her CPR. She smiled, murmured something under her breath, and walked to the door, running into the side of the doorway on her way out.

Chill glanced at Ochako. "She always like that?" he murmured, his voice considerably lower than normal.

"No. Usually, she's really enthusiastic and bubbly. I don't know what's gotten into her..." In reality, she knew, and it was pretty obvious what had gotten into Ashido, but for Jaxon's sake, she wouldn't say it yet. She grinned at him. "See you on the bus!" she exclaimed, bouncing away.

"She's one to talk..." Chill chuckled to himself, then turned to Izuku and switched back to his base form.

Izuku smiled warmly. "That's a pretty insane Quirk you've got there."

"It's not that awesome. What's yours?" Jaxon asked.

"Well..." Izuku tried to think of an explanation that didn't give away the secret of One For All. "I can increase my physical strength for a couple seconds at a time, but if I attack or do pretty much anything during that time, I'm basically out of commission."

"Oh, yeah! I watched some of the practical exam tapes. You're the guy who took out the big baddie, right? Shattered a few of your bones in the process?"

"Well, if that's how you want to remember me, then sure! My name's Izuku Midoriya."

"Nice to meet you, Midoriya," Jaxon answered. "We should get going, huh?"

The two walked out of the classroom and rejoined their classmates at the bus terminal, where Iida was yelling out orders about how to board the buses. He seemed to be doing fine, until Koji Koda noticed- "Uh, um, Iida? The b-buses have open-floor plans..."

Iida stood stock still for a moment, then sighed and boarded his bus without another word.

Izuku sat between Asui and Ochako. Jaxon was in the back left window seat. He looked out the window at the passing scenery, trying not to get carsick. He didn't notice that Tsu was trying to get his attention until she gave him a _whap_ with her 20-meter tongue.

" _Ribbit_! Jaxon? Are you okay?" She looked worried, which was unusual, because it was very rare for her to betray any sort of emotion. "Your face is green."

"Your hair is green, and I don't see anyone else complaining," Jaxon murmured. He shook his head. "Sorry. I'm just getting one of my signature migraines. Comes with a lot of things. Bus rides are one of them."

Tsu grinned. "That's fine. Most of us get headaches pretty often too." She glanced around, as if trying to get someone to respond

Kaminari picked up the joke where she left off. "Usually when Baka-gou over there is shooting his mouth off."

"What did you say, punk?!" Kacchan yelled, sitting up instantly. "Don't make me come over there!" Jaxon could instantly tell that this wasn't a joke.

"See? Like that. Man, it's already splitting." Kaminari held his head in both hands. "You've got some kind of gift, Kacchan, and it's a dark one."

"I'll crush you, twerp!" Kacchan snapped. "Don't think I won't! You're no match for me!"

"Yeah, if being an annoying bully was a contest," piped up Eijiro Kirishima.

As the students bickered, Jaxon smiled. "I like you people already," he murmured, still looking out the window.

 _Give or take,_ he thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Once the students got to the facility they'd be using, they filed out of the buses and entered. Each student was wearing his or her hero uniform, except Jaxon, who hadn't gotten his yet, and Midoriya, whose costume had been destroyed during the battle training.

Thirteen, the resident hero, welcomed the class. "Today, you learn what is, to me, the most important aspect of hero work!" she exclaimed. "The art of the rescue!" She waved a hand toward the middle of the building. "Behold! The Unforeseen Simulation Joint! Or as I like to call it, the USJ!"

There were a bunch of different zones, each one holding a simulated natural disaster. Jaxon was able to count eight.

Thirteen went on. "Today, you will be tasked with rescuing civillians from random points in these zones. You've been divided up based on skill-"

Suddenly, on the stairs, a shadowy form appeared. "You do not need to split them up based on skill," it boomed. "Why not make it random?" A wave of shadow apeared from the figure, and the students were covered by it and sent into darkness.

When the shadow cleared, Jaxon looked around. He was standing in the center of a raging fire, and there were people all around him. But these weren't civillians, and no freaking WAY were they friendly. These were villains, and they were after the students!

Jaxon reached into his pocket. "If I'm gonna be in Hell, then I'll play like the hellions," he murmured, drawing out a statue of a large flame. He pressed his finger against the bottom- and transformed, this time taking on a whole new personality.

Now, he had blue skin, similar to Chill. However, his eyes were now huge and green, and he sported bracelets and a crown with a green gem in the center. But the biggest change was his hair, which was now literally a giant flame.

"Let's get this party started! Leo Sachizado, reporting for some butt-kicking!" Jaxon's new form- Leo- cracked his knuckles and looked around. "Alright, who's first?"

A man who had half of an inhumanly muscular, bulky body stepped forward. "I'll kill-" He couldn't even finish his sentence before Leo had ignited both fists on fire and dropped the guy with two flaming uppercuts.

"Whoo! Man! What was that you said you were gonna do? Oh wait, you didn't!" Leo cackled.

Three more villains closed in on him, and he realized his predicament. "Aw, come on! I hate one-on-three fights!"

"Then let's make it two-on-three!" yelled a voice. Before Leo could process who the voice belonged to, the first villain was on the ground, and a second was contained in a long, pink rope.

No... not a rope.

"Hey! Frog girl!" exclaimed Leo. "So glad you could make it! I mean, two's company, but sheesh!" He shot a fireball at the third villain, sending her flying. "Multi-man ambushes?! That's just cheap!"

Tsu landed on the ground and slammed her target down as she did. She pulled her tongue back into her mouth. "My name's actually Tsuyu Asui. But please, call me Tsu."

"Alright, I'll make sure to remember that, doll. Ah, I mean, Tsu."

She blushed. "Can we get back to stopping this threat now?"

"Uh, sure." Leo punched another villain with his flaming fist, then spun and kicked a third.

A woman used a magma Quirk to send Leo flying into the air. He flipped, rode the plume of magma for a bit, then slid down it and launched an elbow into the woman's face. But in that time, he'd let his guard down- and suddenly, he and Tsu were surrounded by villains! With a quick count, Leo saw at least ten.

The two stood back-to-back. "Alright, Tsu," Leo snarked. "Got any ideas?"

"Just one," Tsu answered. She then proceeded to wrap her tongue around Leo's leg.

"Uh, Tsu? N-n-not on the first d-date," Leo stammered, embarrassed. Getting no response, he needled, "What... are you doing?"

"Use your fire punch thing!" Tsu exclaimed, tightening her grip.

"Huh? ...Oh, wait, yeah!" Leo got it all of a sudden. He ignited his fists again. "Alright! Let's show these freaks the meaning of a firestorm!"

"What do you mean, firestorm?" a half-man, half-bear asked, sticking out his claws. "What can you do to us with one leg tied?"

Leo saw it coming, but he was still startled when Tsu yanked him off his feet and began to swing him. Not knowing what else to do, he yelled, "Improv Special Move, coming right up! Clock Comet Clocker!"

Tsu spun in an ever-widening circle, and with the force of her swing combined with Leo's flaming fists, whose fire eventually traveled all the way down his arms, the move was complete. Tsu stretched out her tongue as far as it would go. The circling fireball struck most of the villains in the area.

Once all but one of the villains had been defeated, Tsu let go of Leo abruptly, and the boy sailed through the air at a huge man standing about eighteen meters away. Leo brought his arm back. "Here's one for the road, brought to you directly by the pyro himself!" he hollered, slamming his fist into the man's face.

And by into, I mean _into_.

"Ew. Disgusting," Leo commented, after realizing his fist was going through the man's head. "I'll have to talk to my doctor. Who knows what diseases this joker had?" He pulled his fist out, and the man sank to the ground. Leo glanced down at him. "Oops. That did a little more than I expected."

Tsu walked dizzily up to Leo. "Thanks... for the help..." she murmured, tottering back and forth.

"Okay, your face is as green as your hair. That's not good." Leo sighed and turned Tsu around. "You retch, make sure to do it _that_ way."

"Sorry... I'm just not used to... spinning that much... _ribbit_..."

"Whoa there. Don't hurl on me yet. There are still villains out there, and we gotta take them down. Come on!" He sighed. "You know what, forget it, I'll just carry you."

Leo lifted Tsu up in his arms and began to carry her through the rest of the Fire Zone. He kept one hand ignited, as well as a fireball inside his mouth, just in case any more villains showed up. But the route was clear, and he reached the eastern border with little trouble.

"I think... I'm okay now," Tsu exclaimed, hopping out of Leo's arms and walking over the border between the Fire Zone and the Squall Zone. She didn't look back- if she did, he'd see that her face was turning redder by the second.

"Man, the girls here are weird..." Leo murmured. "Hey, wait up!" He ran after Tsu, but squealed in pain the moment he crossed the border. "Owowowow! I didn't know there was gonna be water involved!" he whined, jumping back into the Fire Zone and fluffing up the flame in his hair. "If my fire goes out in this self, I'll die! Wait there, I'm gonna change form quick!"

While she waited, Tsu thought about what had just happened. _He seemed like he was gonna be one of those 'cool-guy types' who flinched at the thought of human contact. But he didn't show any reservations toward literally sweeping me off my feet, and he didn't object to me doing the same thing. I wonder..._ She blushed. _No. It's not possible. We've known each other less than an hour._

Leo had reverted back to his base form, Jaxon, to recharge his mind a bit for the next transformation. But as he was sent to the back of Jaxon's mind, Leo had a lot of time to think. _She just wrapped her tongue around my leg like it was no big deal! And... when I was carrying her, I didn't get a good look at her face, but... was she_ blushing _?! I mean, I was just helping her get out of the fire, but I'm not inside her head, so-_

 _Can you can it?! The rest of us are here too,_ Chill snapped. The cryomancer's doom-and-gloom persona was also near the back of Jaxon's mind, and he wasn't too happy about how chatty Leo's mind-piece was.

 _Sorry. Just trying to piece something together._

Dyno, the Wrestler persona, "spoke" up. _Chill, he's right. That girl was pretty embarrassed about being carried._

 _Thanks, Dyno._ Leo was glad to have someone on his side, though Dyno was a huge softie despite his massive size, and was usually on everyone's side.

Peras, the most romance-oriented (and immature) of the avatars of Jaxon's personality, chimed in now. _I know what you're thinking, Leo, and may I just say, I'm all for it!_

 _How could YOU know what I'm thinking, umbrella boy?!_ Leo exclaimed. _I don't even know what I'm thinking!_ _Are you suggesting that she likes me? After one battle, a combined special move, and a couple minutes of being carried for the specific reason that she was too punch-drunk to WALK?! You lost it a long time ago, but this is a whole other level, my dude._

Peras laughed. _All the signs are there, buddy! You just can't read for crap!_

 _Alright, that's it, I'm gonna-_

Jaxon's main mind had had enough. _WILL YOU ALL PLEASE JUST CUT IT OUT?!_ His mind went silent. He sat there, on a rock that was slightly overwarmed. All of his other selves- even the ones that weren't talking- focused on the center of his brain at once. _I don't care WHAT she thinks of Leo. As far as I'm concerned, nothing can come of it, and I'm ultimately the one in control, so what does it MATTER?! I'm sick of you all losing your segments of my mind over something you can't control!_

Everything inside him was silent, and he realized that all of his selves were quiet out of shock. Leo, offended, retreated farther into Jaxon's mind. The others tried to pretend they hadn't just heard Jaxon flip his lid.

Jaxon pulled a statue of a big green ball of light out of his pocket and touched the bottom. A ball of light appeared, and when it dissipated, his hair was sparking with yellow and green bolts of lightning. He wore a necklace made of what appeared to be emeralds, and his hands glowed with bright green light.

"Much better," Wisp, the Electric-type Quirk user, murmured. "Let's do this." He ran over to Tsu, who took one look and stepped back.

"Jaxon? What happened to-" She cocked her head. "You changed form, didn't you?"

"Wisp, at your service," answered the boy.

"Whoa. So, uh... what part of Jaxon are you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, from what I've seen, each of his different selves has a certain aspect of his personality. Can you tell which one is which?"

"Oh, that? Wow, you're observant. I'd be glad to explain. I'm the avatar of his 'friendly' side- the one that focuses on friend relationships, strengthening bonds, et cetera, but I'm also kind of childish at times. Leo, whom you just witnessed in action, embodies Jaxon's confidence, but he's a bit... how should I word this... _flirtatious._ Not to mention, he's got a bit of a temper on him. You also met Chill, who's Jaxon's cool and collected side. The downside of that is, he's constantly depressed."

"Deverius, the Blade user, is the form of Jaxon's nobility and gallant side. Loves fair fights, only duels an equal, believes in total equality, yadda yadda yadda. Kind of a jerk, though. Yoma uses what can only be described as yo-yos. He's a bit of a hipster. The backwards-cap kind, not the 'peace signs and drugs' kind. Cap, or Capsule J model SCP-875, is the analytic part of Jaxon's mind. Takes up most of his left brain, and its power, Jet Boost, is one of the most useful of all of Jaxon's forms. But it's... well, a robot.

"Simi is one of Jaxon's less... marketable traits. He represents Jaxon's timidity. Put a girl in front of poor Simi, and he goes tomato red and can't say a word. But his power, his mirror control, is incredible. You'll have to see it in action, because I can't explain it. Meanwhile, Dante is pretty much the exact opposite. He may look like an Indian in his headdress, but he's as close to a British socialite as one can get. Not to mention, he can fly and shoot weaponized feathers.

"Rush and Dyno are all about physicality. Rush uses a lot of open-hand martial arts, and he's based on Jaxon's focus and calmness under pressure. Dyno is a wrestler, and he'll suplex just about anything up to fifteen tons. Really impressive, unless he's suplexing _you._ He's extremely compliant and difficult to tick off, and that's what he represents in Jaxon. Vio, the ninja, represents... actually, I'm not sure. I never talk to him. He keeps to himself a lot. Same with Baola, the petromancer. Rock user, if you don't speak Latin.

"Finally, there's Peras. Hoo boy. His weaponized umbrella is pretty functional, seeing as it's made out of a spear and a shield, but as a personality, he can be annoying. He's the one that focuses on romance; he memorizes people's personalities and matches them up with someone else. The thing is, ninety-nine percent of the time, he's right. But that other one percent makes a difference. Also, he can dish it out when it comes to dating advice, but he can't take it. If he sees someone he likes 'like that', he's on them like a buzzard on a gut wagon."

Tsu was beyond impressed. "Are there any others?"

"Well, there's one... but we don't talk about him."

"Why not?"

"Because he isn't part of Jaxon's personality. He goes by a number of names, but most of us just call him either Ingvar or Thunder Monkey. He's... wild. He's a complete idiot and blind as a bat, and doesn't know who his enemies are more often than not. His warhammers can destroy whole _buildings_ if he isn't handled with care. Most of the time, though, he isn't the dominant self, and he isolates himself from the rest of us."

"Doesn't sound like the type I'd want to meet." Tsu glanced around as she walked. "Hey- did you see something?"

"Uh, no." Wisp shrugged. "We're surrounded by veritable walls of rain and buildings. There isn't much to see."

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his neck and spun around. "What the heck was that?!" he asked, seeing nothing and no one near him. He stepped back and rubbed his hands together, generating static to charge up his attacks. His power was amplified by the rainwater.

"Oops! Sorry!" A voice came out of the curtain of rain. "I thought you weren't who you were. I mean, uh... I didn't recognize you."

"Where are you? _Who_ are you?!"

Tsu grinned. "You don't know Hagakure, huh? She has an invisibility Quirk."

"Oh. That explains it." Wisp shrugged. "Um, Hagakure? Is there anyone else here with you? Besides villains, I mean."

"Yeah! There should be, at least..."

From afar off, a form drew close, swinging from buildings by a tail. Wisp prepared a Bolt Arrow, holding it in one hand and shielding Tsu and Hagakure (at least, where he thought she was) with the other. His electric hair flared up.

Hagakure spoke up. "No, no, no! He's okay! That's Masahiro Ojiro! He's my friend!"

"Oh, yeah. I recognize him now," Wisp answered, remembering the blond boy from class.

Ojiro landed on the ground near them. "Hey, guys," he murmured. "There are a lot of villains around here, but I think we duped them. They should be on the other side of the zone right now."

Wisp glanced around. "I don't think confrontation is the best idea," he answered quickly. "Tsu and I- well, Tsu and Leo- just fought a crowd in the Fire Zone, and she was in pretty rough shape afterwards."

"Really? She looks fine now." Ojiro looked puzzled.

"I was dizzy," Tsu interjected. "I helped Leo with a special move that got rid of the villains, but it involved a lot of spinning." She purposely left out the carrying part. Ojiro probably wouldn't mind, but there was no sense in giving Hagakure the wrong idea.

"Alright, so we don't attack directly," Ojiro noted. "What else can we do?"

"I can try to pick them off with sneak attacks!" exclaimed Hagakure, appearing to jump up and down.

"Bad idea," answered Wisp. "Once they know people are disappearing or going down, their guards will all be up and you'll lose the element of surprise. No, the best course of action is to try to get to the center of the USJ. That way, we can figure out where the rest of the groups are by looking at the zones individually."

"Wow, Jax- uh, is that your name?" Ojiro asked.

"In base form, yes. Right now, though, in my electric-type persona, I am called Wisp."

"Got it. Wisp. Anyways... where'd you learn so much about this?"

"Like I said to All Might, my dad was a professional hero."

"You say 'was'. Is he still alive?"

"Ojiro!" Hagakure snapped. "Be sensitive!"

"It's alright," Wisp replied. "Yes, my dad's still alive. But he's not a big part of my life anymore." The four had begun to circle the Squall Zone. Wisp spoke as he walked, casting the occasional glance out of the Zone. "He and Mom split up a while back. He wanted me to be a fighter hero like him, and she wanted me to be a rescue hero like Thirteen. Guess no one told either of them I could've been both. Now it's just me, Mom, and my brother, Alpha."

"Whoa. That's... I don't even know what to say. I'm so sorry," Ojiro murmured.

"Nah, it's fine. That was a long time ago." Wisp smiled. "I've moved on."

"Hey, look!" Tsu interrupted. "I see the center!" Sure enough, through the curtain of rain, there was a familiar image- the fountain at the main hub of the USJ.

"Looks like there's a fight going on there," Hagakure commented.

"Yeah- wait, is that Mr. Aizawa?" asked Ojiro. The group left the Squall Zone for a better look. Shota Aizawa was taking down villains two by two, using his capture scarf to increase his mobility.

"Oh, no... he's gonna get tired after a while!" exclaimed Wisp. "There's too many! We gotta help him!" Before Tsu, Ojiro, or Hagakure could stop him, he began to rub his hands together again. Aura surrounded them, and he ran forward as lightly and quickly as he could, the others yelling at him to stop. He punched one villain with full force, then turned and uppercutted another.

"Hey, kid! Leave this to the grown-ups!" a voice yelled. A man with biceps the size of car engines launched a fist into Wisp's face so hard, he flew into the air, and his persona lost control of Jaxon's mind. Jaxon quickly took the reins and assessed his situation. He had a plan before he reached the peak of his flight.

Back on the ground, the villain who'd punched Jaxon laughed. Another commented, "His hair's not green anymore! You punched his Quirk right out of him!"

"Got that right! That's what I do!" exclaimed Bosu Asoto, the Muscle Mover villain. He shifted his arm muscle down to his legs and jumped after Jaxon.

But this wasn't Jaxon anymore.

Bosu soon fell back to the ground with a massive goose-egg in his forehead. The other villains stepped back. One looked up. "Hey, he's takin' a really long time to come down," he complained.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Peras touched down on the ground, holding an umbrella in each hand. He shut both simultaneously and twirled them. "Looks like the only match I'll be making today is between you guys... and the ER!" he yelled.

"What the..." Aizawa narrowed his eyes. "Is that the new kid? Thought he'd look a little older..."

Peras began beating down villains with his umbrellas. "I can hear you, you know!" he exclaimed. "And Jaxon himself does look older than me. Right now, I'm the dominant personality in his mind."

Aizawa grunted as he used his capture scarf to draw in two villains and punch their lights out. "Let's talk about this later."

"Agreed." Working as a team, Peras and Aizawa slowly thinned out the crowd of villains. But both of them appeared to be getting tired. Peras knocked one baddie out with a well-placed umbrella swing, then opened the umbrella, sheathing the other. "I think I need both weapons," he panted, pulling the top off of the umbrella. The top hardened into a shield, while the shaft now looked like a gold-tipped spear. Peras put the shield on his left wrist and held his spear in his right hand.

 _I've got an idea,_ Leo put in. _Were you paying attention when Tsu and I were in the Fire zone?_

Peras sighed mentally. _Yes, Leo. I was. What could you have possibly gained from that?_

 _Look at Mr. Aizawa's weapon,_ Leo explained. _That scarf looks like it could work exactly like Tsu's tongue._

 _Huh. I see what you're getting at! Good idea. Man, Leo, you're having a really good day today!_ Peras laughed and dodged an oncoming strike, bringing the blunt end of his spear down on a villain's back. _You're not usually this analytical! That's generally Cap's business._

 _Well, I can be smart, too,_ Leo answered in mock indignance.

 _Alright, but if this doesn't work, it was still your idea,_ Peras finished. He sprinted to where Mr. Aizawa was. "I've got an- whoa!" He dodged a tentacle swing from squid villain Sajiro Nakato, then motioned for Aizawa to come over.

"Alright, this better be good. I'm having to blink a lot more often," Aizawa murmured.

"I tried this in the Fire Zone. Cleared out around fifteen villains. Wrap your scarf around my spear as tightly as you can. I'll swing you in a circle."

"There's one problem, kid. Are you even strong enough to lift me?" Aizawa asked.

"Dang it! Knew I was forgetting something..." Peras blocked a hit from the squid. "I'll need to switch to a stronger form and do this manually." He reached into his pocket, but the squid slammed a tentacle into Peras's chest and sent him flying. Nakato then picked Aizawa up and began to squeeze him.

Jaxon got up, dizzily. He realized he'd switched out of his umbrella form, and thought quickly about what had happened.

 _Jax! Tag me in!_ Dyno exclaimed. _Aizawa needs someone big and strong! That fits my description perfectly!_

 _Got it._ Jax pulled a statue of a blue robe out of his pocket. He tapped the bottom.

The squid was choking the life out of Aizawa. "Hope you don't have family," Nakato snarled, "because they're gonna..." He was cut off, noticing a giant shadow looming overhead.

"Hey, suckers-for-brains," a voice snarled.

The squid turned around and looked up to get a good look at this new foe. Jaxon had become the ultimate wrestler, the 6'5", 300-pound Dyno The Dynamic. He stood to his full height and broadened his chest as far out as it would go. "You've got a lot of nerve, breaking in to the U.A, a school full of hero trainees _and_ hero teachers. Even I know that much."

"We're not here for you, big boy," Nakato taunted, squeezing Aizawa a little harder. "And we're not here for Eraser Head, either. We've got... _bigger_ goals."

"Well, if you're not here for Aizawa, the best course of action would be to..." Quick as a flash, Dyno reached out and grabbed Nakato by the neck, lifting him into the air. "Let... him... go," he finished. "I'll give you some breathing room if you do. If you don't..." He squeezed a little harder to emphasize his point.

The tentacles around the squid's head shot out and tried to dislodge Dyno's grip, but the big brute was too strong. Finally, Nakato, worn out from the effort of resistance and from the battle, dropped Aizawa out of exhaustion. "Alright..." he wheezed. "Now put me... down..."

"I'm a man of my word," Dyno growled, dropping the villain onto his rear. But the moment he did, Nakato spat a cloud of ink at the wrestler!

Nakato's breathing had been restricted for a while, and his ink shot relied on his respiration for a propellant, so the ink didn't reach Dyno's eyes. But it did splatter on his robe.

The two stood there, unmoving, for a few seconds. Finally, Dyno spoke. "You... ruined... my... _yakuza_ ," he murmured. "Now... I'm gonna ruin... _YOUR FACE!"_ He shot forward, grabbed Nakato by the chest, and leapt an incredible distance into the air. He twirled the squid's body a couple of times, then thrust him down with both hands just as they neared the ground.

 _BOOM!_ A sound like thunder filled the USJ. When the dust cleared, a giant crater graced the ground, and inside it, Dyno was standing over Nakato's shattered body, ink-and-blood-stained robe waving dramatically. "That's what happens to people who make me have to call my dry cleaner," he growled, turning around. "Anyone else want their last ride?"

No villains were left near the crater. Aizawa and Peras had finished that group off. But two stood near the fountain at the very center of the building. One appeared to have human hands pasted, palm-first, all over his body. The other looked like a big, bulky man, but with an exposed brain and a birdlike beak filled with teeth.

Dyno glanced at the villains. "One of you wanna square up?" he asked.

The one with the hands coming out of him raised an arm. "Nomu, why don't you show him that more than one person can be strong?"

The bird man roared. His eyes focused on Dyno. One second, he was there. The next- he was standing right in front of Dyno, glaring down at him.

"Whoa, there, big guy," Dyno snapped. "Didn't your mother hen ever tell you not to run indoors?"

Nomu roared again in response and grabbed Dyno by the shoulders. The big boy grabbed Nomu's shoulders as well, and the two assumed a classic wrestling stature. Except- neither one could move. They stood stock still, struggling against each others' might. Dyno was severall inches shorter than Nomu, but he looked to be expending less energy.

Tsu, Ojiro, and Hagakure watched the fight from right outside the Squall Zone. Tsu gulped. "It's a complete stalemate!" she exclaimed. "They're equally strong and equally balanced! If something doesn't happen soon-"

"No, look! That thing's way stronger!" countered Ojiro. "But Jaxon has better leverage. That's why they aren't going anywhere. They both have advantages, and neither one can overcome those of the other."

"Someone needs to go help him!" Hagakure cried. "He can't win on his own!"

Then, Nomu did something no one expected. He lifted Dyno into the air and threw him over his back, then spun and kicked him hard enough to send him flying.

"Neither one can overcome the advantages of the other, huh?" Tsu asked.

"I never said that was a definite explanation," Ojiro murmured.

Dyno landed on the ground facedown. He sprang up and turned to face Nomu. "Cheap move!" he yelled.

Nomu reacted to this by sprinting forward and punching Dyno in the face.

A lucky hit. Dyno's Suplex Jet move could have dodged it easily.

But even lucky hits have consequences.

Dyno flew back again. This time, when he landed on the ground, he'd reverted to his base form.

"Jaxon!" hollered Ojiro, running to the boy's aid.

Jaxon sat up, shaking off the ringing in his ears. He saw, albeit out of focus, Ojiro coming toward him. Nomu walking over to him, slower than Ojiro. Aizawa fighting the man with all the hands. Tsu (and, probably, Hagakure) going to find help.

But he didn't see Midoriya.

"Leave him alone!" the green-haired boy yelled, rushing past Jaxon to launch a Detroit Smash into Nomu's abdomen.

Seeing this gave Jaxon a little more strength. He got up just as Ojiro neared him. "I'm fine," he snarled, not waiting for the question. "I'm gonna help him."

"No! You need to stay back!" Ojiro yelled. "You don't know what that thing can do! Without one of your other selves, it's a suicide mission!"

"Listen. My other forms do a lot of the grunt work when it comes to fighting, but I have a few tricks of my own," Jaxon explained. "Remember my actual Quirk? I'm gonna see what makes that Nomu guy so strong. And then..." He cracked his knuckles. "I'm gonna take it from 'im.

"I can't stop you, Jaxon," Ojiro countered, "but this is really gonna be dangerous."

"Exactly." Jaxon smiled at Ojiro, then turned and ran toward Nomu, who'd just thrown Midoriya a considerable distance. "Hey, birdbrain! I've got something for ya!" he yelled.

Nomu looked down at Jaxon. Here was Nomu's old foe, but much, much smaller. Could this really be the boy who'd caused Nomu such trouble? Either way, now he had to die. Nomu raised a fist and barreled toward Jaxon.

The boy grinned and jumped over Nomu, then spun around in midair. "Copy Laser!" he yelled. "Fire!"

Nomu turned around just as a white beam of light enveloped him. He screamed and stumbled back, blinded.

Jaxon waited for the copy to manifest in his mind. Finally, he received some information. "Shock absorption, huh? Not bad." He hesitated. "Wait, there's something el-"

The words ' _Quirk Overload detected'_ appeared in his visor. Suddenly, pain like a thousand knives filled his head. He shrieked and staggered to the side, clutching the side of his head as though that would help. He looked out of the corner of his eye and saw a giant form coming toward him. _Nomu got the last laugh,_ he thought, then knew no more.


	3. Chapter 3

_Nothing is defined here. There is no detail. There is only..._

 _Light..._

 _Sound..._

 _Darkness..._

 _Silence..._

 _Jaxon..._

 _Jaxon!_

"Jaxon!" yelled Ashido. "Oh, no, guys, he's dead!"

"Calm down," Aoyama snapped. "He's breathing."

Jaxon groaned and opened his eyes a bit, but shut them again almost immediately. His head was still ringing, and the bright lights around him made it hurt even more. "Nngh... what happened?" he asked.

"Ohmygosh, you won't believe it! All Might and the other pros came and saved us!" exclaimed Ashido.

Mineta's voice sounded next. "You passed out fighting that Nomu guy, and All Might got you to safety before bringing down the _hammer_ on that birdbrain!"

Jaxon opened his eyes again and looked around. They were still in the USJ. Some of the class was there, but he noticed no sign of Bakugou or Todoroki. Then he thought of something. "Wait- who alerted the other heroes?"

"That would be me," Ida answered. "Someone just _had_ to throw me through one of the top windows." He glared at Rikido Sato.

Sato shrugged. "Sugarman does what Sugarman does."

Jaxon grinned. "Thanks. Both of you."

"You're thanking _us_?" Ida's eyes widened. "Without you, All Might may not have even gotten here in time to save the others, let alone beat Nomu!"

"Eh... I've got too much of a migraine to argue right now..."

"Actually," Sato mused, "something's bothering me about that. What was that thing you used on Nomu right before you zonked?"

"My copy visor?" Jaxon asked. "It lets me turn my copying Quirk into a laser attack. Gives me an idea of the range of my power, too."

"So, you were trying to copy Nomu's Quirk?" Ida asked. "Why would that have caused you to faint?"

"To be honest, I don't know. What happened was, my mind overloaded for some reason. Saw it in my visor right before my migraine tripled and I blacked out. But that usually only happens when more than one person with a Quirk is hit by the laser and my power absorbs multiple others." Jaxon tried to get up, but Ashido and Sato stopped him.

"Are you sure Nomu was the only one being targeted by your laser?" asked Ida.

"Yeah. Positive. It only works in my line of sight. So that means that either it malfunctioned, or..."

"Or what?" asked Sato.

"That thing... must have had multiple Quirks on its own."

Suddenly, a new voice spoke. "It does," Midoriya explained.

"What?" Jaxon turned his head. "Midoriya? How do you-"

"I listened to the guy with all the hands while All Might and Nomu were fighting. Nomu was given two Quirks. Shock absorption and regeneration. He was built to fight All Might."

"Whoa." Jaxon thought a moment. "So, when that squid guy was talking about 'bigger plans'-"

"He meant All Might."

You could have cut the air with a knife at that point. Finally, Ashido spoke up. "We... should probably get on the bus," she said quietly. "With the shape Thirteen and Mr. Aizawa are in, there's no way we're doing training today." The rest of the class murmured their agreement and dispersed.

Jaxon walked outside and pulled a phone out of his pocket. He checked the time- about 4:30- and called his mom.

"Jax?" Alondra Sachizado's voice came through the phone. "The attack's all over the news! What happened?!"

"Mom, it's fine. A warper villain came into the USJ and attacked with a bunch of thugs, but All Might and the other pros sent them packing."

"Oh, Jaxon! I'm so glad you're okay! I assume that means you're being taught well?"

Jaxon boarded the bus, taking a seat in the second row from the back. "It's my first day and I got to school after lunch. I wasn't taught very much."

"Right. My mistake."

"Hey, mom? School's just about over, and I was thinking... can I go visit Alph before I come home?"

"Of course, honey! I have to head back into the office anyways, so I won't have dinner ready until about 7:00. Try not to get attacked again!"

"Okay, thanks." Jaxon smiled to himself. Alpha, Jaxon's brother, was in a hospital not too far from the main campus, being treated for polio. From what Jaxon had heard, the wheelchair-bound little boy now had the entire faculty wrapped around his finger. Had he not been infected by his disease, Alph would have made a promising UA student with his psychokinetic abilities. As it were, though, his only opportunity to help people would come if one of the old folks began choking on their food.

But it wasn't all a bed of roses. The hospital had told Alondra from the beginning that their treatments were basically just improvements on Alph's quality of life. From the looks of things, he only had a couple months left, and there wasn't much the staff could do to change that. So Jaxon and his mom had gotten their mourning in beforehand, because they knew the end was coming sooner rather than later.

Now Jax thought about what definitely-illegal actions Alph was going to take today. Order a "misplaced" meal from the fancy restaurant down the street? Wheelchair joyride down the fire escape? Flirt with as many of the nurses as he could (the most phone numbers he'd ever gotten in one day was six)?

But Jaxon wasn't the only one wondering about Alph. As Tsu sat behind Jaxon, she couldn't help but wonder, _who was he talking about?_ They traveled on, and she became resolute: she was going to find out who Alph was, even if it involved a bit of harmless stalking.

Back at the school, the students got off the bus. Jaxon reached into his pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a hand mirror. He placed his hand against the surface and transformed again. Now, his ice-blue eyes gazed out not from under brown hair, but from a modest orange fedora. He wore a red tunic with gold bordering. As he looked around nervously, he tipped the hat down, thinking no one noticed him. He slipped off as the others were socializing. Tsu watched him leave, then hopped over to Ashido and Aoyama, who were arguing about the amount of villains they'd defeated.

"You guys?" Tsu asked. "Where's Jaxon?"

"You were sitting right behind him, Tsu," Ashido replied.

"Why such a rush to find him? I'm sure he's alright." Aoyama smiled. "It's not like he's Quirkless or anything."

"Yeah, but he was acting really weird after he got off the bus, and then he switched to another form and left. I was just wondering if either of you saw where he went."

"I'll help you tail him, if you want," Ashido said, a little too quickly.

"Please," Aoyama snapped. "You'd be noticed within seconds. Leave this to a professional."

"Where's the pro, then? I don't see one," Ashido quipped.

For once, Aoyama was speechless, but he recovered well. "I'm serious. Your Quirk, not to mention your costume and, well, _you_ , are all extremely flashy. If Jaxon left without anyone noticing, chances are he doesn't want to be followed. So, neither one of us is well equipped for this." He turned to Tsu. "Sorry, but you're on your own."

"It's fine." Tsu jumped away, leaving the two to bicker.

She followed Jaxon from where she'd last seen him. As he was beginning to cross an intersection, she caught up to him, but stayed hidden. Aoyama had had a point- Jaxon likely wouldn't take well to being followed or accompanied, so it was best if she kept a distance and something like a building between her and him at all times.

But then something odd happened. Jaxon had reached the other end of the intersection when a group of girls nearby noticed him. As Tsu got closer, she began to realize that the girls all looked extremely interested in Jaxon. He glanced up and saw them. Without a word, he raised one hand. A beam of light flowed through him- and he disappeared.

Tsu blinked and shook her head. She could still see a small distortion in the air where Jaxon had been-

 _No, wait! He's still there!_ Her suspicions were confirmed when the distortion moved the opposite direction of the confused gaggle of girls. She hopped to another building and kept following.

Jaxon's Mirror form, Simi, walked nervously through the city streets toward the hospital. He'd done this before- matter of fact, when he had to commute across town for some reason, he almost always switched to Simi and used mirrors and light to make himself nearly invisible. But a well-trained eye could still spot him, and unbeknownst to him, that was exactly what was going on. Still he walked onward, hoping that no girls nearby would see the air disfiguration and put two and two together. Finally, he reached the hospital, and Tsu hopped in after him, clinging to the walls to keep hidden. Simi switched back to Jaxon and brushed his clothes off.

Jaxon walked up to the desk and asked the receptionist, "Ma'am, can you tell me where Alpha Sachizado's room is?"

 _So that's it,_ Tsu thought. _They're related. Should have seen that coming._

The receptionist looked over her thick-rimmed glasses at Jaxon. "May I ask who you are?"

"His brother, Jaxon. I'm just here to visit him."

"Well, then," the woman exclaimed, looking through her files, "I do believe I have you on record. His room is on the fourth floor. Room 405. Make sure he doesn't attempt to bungee-jump out the window this time, okay?"

Tsu memorized the number and jumped to the stairs just as Jaxon entered the elevator. She hopped to the fourth floor, hiding behind an abandoned cart while Jaxon came out of the elevator.

Jaxon looked at the room numbers. Something seemed off about the hallway, but he didn't know what, so he ignored it. "Here we are," he murmured, stopping at room 405. He swung around the doorframe, looked his little brother dead in the eyes, and exclaimed, "Housekeeping!"

"Jax!" Alph exclaimed, rolling his wheelchair forward. There was a cord attached to the window, and the patient was doing his best to hide it. "You didn't tell me you were coming!" he exclaimed, going over to Jaxon and reaching up.

Jaxon hugged Alph hard. "Kinda hard to make plans when you're in school getting your butt handed to you by villains."

"Oh, yeah! I saw the attack on the news!" Alph exclaimed, pulling back. "What happened?"

"Just some thugs trying to go after All Might," Jaxon answered. "You know. Typical U.A. fare."

"You don't even know what typical U.A. fare is! You haven't been there a full day yet!" Alph laughed.

Tsu edged closer to the door until she was standing right next to the doorway.

"So, how's my juvenile delinquent brother today?" Jaxon asked, tipping his head toward the bungee cord attached to the window frame.

Alph frowned, ignoring the dig. "The docs here are such dipwads. They all think I'm gonna bite it soon. I've still got lots of fight left in me."

"Right. That's why you're trying to jump out of a fourth-story window with a cord attached to your atrophied leg."

"Well, amputations cost _so much..._ " Alph grinned, then changed the subject. "But other than that, I'm good. Wish I were you, mainly."

"Whoa! Where did that come from?!"

"Um, you're going to the best hero school in existence? You _don't_ have polio?" Alph hesitated, glancing at the door. "You've got your own crazy stalker girl and I practically have to do the stalking to _get_ a girl?"

"What? Listen, if you're talking about Tania, I told her to stay in Minato."

"Nope." Alph looked past Jaxon. "Definitely not Tania."

Jaxon turned slowly, following Alph's gaze until his eyes landed on Tsu.

The two stood there for a moment. Jaxon could barely register what was going on. "A-A-Asui?" he asked, taking a step back.

"I told you to call me Tsu." Tsu stepped into the doorway and glanced around.

"You told Leo to call you Tsu," Jaxon reminded her.

Alph's eyes widened. "You introduced her to Leo?! Dude, big mistake."

"It wasn't a mistake!" Jaxon exclaimed. "Um, Tsu, how... uh... how did you follow me here? And for that matter..." He closed his eyes. " _Why?!"_

Tsu hesitated. It suddenly occurred to her that she'd never actually come up with a reason for coming to the hospital. " _Ribbit..._ I honestly don't know. It's just, when you switched to that guy in the red shirt, and then you snuck off... I have to admit, it made me more than a little curious."

"Well, here you are. Curiosity satisfied." Jaxon smiled. "And, yep. This is my brother, the one I told you about in the USJ."

Alph rolled his wheelchair over to Tsu and extended a hand. "Alpha Sachizado, at your service." His eyes flashed. "And may I just say, if every girl at the U.A. looks like you, I think my big bro's set for life."

"Uh..." Tsu blushed, shook Alph's hand, and grinned back half-heartedly.

"Alph! Have a little dignity, for crying out loud!" Jaxon exclaimed, then turned to Tsu. "Sorry about him. He's like that with every girl he meets."

"At least I can talk to them," Alph answered, "instead of just freezing up."

"Okay, name at least one instance where I-"

"Umebara Mio, fourth grade."

"I was in elementary! That doesn't-"

"Senjo Akira, sixth grade."

"How do you even KNOW all of this?!"

"And my personal favorite... Tania Tomoka, six months before we moved."

"She was a PSYCHOPATH! I was avoiding her because I thought she was gonna KILL me!"

Alph laughed. "See, I always know how to push your buttons," he exclaimed.

Tsu glanced at both of them. She put her finger to her lip, pondering the situation. "I have a question. Where are you guys from, exactly?"

Jaxon sighed. "We were both born in Minato. But our dad is American, and he and Mom got married in America."

Tsu's eyes widened. "Wait- so you're a half?"

Alph nodded. "Jax never tells people that because he's scared they'll treat him differently."

"Dude!" Jaxon was appalled. "Get a filter! That's not something you just up and tell people!"

"It's alright," Tsu murmured. "I won't tell anyone until you're ready to." She thought about Jaxon's situation for a bit.

"Well, that settles that," Alph said, clapping his hands. "Now. Who wants room service?"

"Room service? We're in a hospital!" Jaxon exclaimed.

"Ah, ah, ah! As I said before, the doctors and nurses all think I'm gonna bite the dust soon. So, as a result, they cater to my every whim! Watch." Alph rolled over to a tablet by his bedside and began typing. About five minutes later, there was a knock on the doorframe.

A nurse stood there, holding a pizza box with steam coming out of the sides. "You wanted this?" she asked Alph.

"Yeah, thanks," Alph answered, grinning at the nurse. "You've still got my number for Saturday, right?"

"Yes," the nurse answered, giggling a little. "I'll see you then." She whisked away down the hall, almost in a trance.

Alph leaned back in his chair, blissfully aware that Jaxon and Tsu were staring at him in shock. "I've got powers," he murmured.


	4. Chapter 4

Alph, Jaxon, and Tsu ate pizza and talked some more, but soon the time came to leave. Jaxon looked at his watch. "Whoa. 5:30. Looks like I should get Tsu back to the U.A." He got up and walked over to Alph. "I'll try to come visit you once a week, alright?" he asked, hugging his brother.

"Whenever you want, Jax." Alph grinned, pulling out of the hug. He pointed at Tsu. "And bring your girlfriend."

Tsu looked away, embarrassed. Jaxon closed his eyes and spoke with a forced calm. "Tsu and I just met today. No way are we dating."

"Whatever. She'll make a good first friend, though." Alph laughed. "See you around."

Jaxon nodded. "Later, brother. Love you." He and Tsu walked out of the room and left the hospital. They went on in silence for a while.  
Tsu finally spoke up. "So... what was your dad like? Do you remember him?"

"Yeah..." Jaxon grinned. "He was a successful American hero. Went by the name of Multi. His Quirk was similar to mine- he could create different personas inside himself, each with a different skillset."

"But Mom and Dad were two different styles of heroes. Mom believed that a hero's only job was to save lives. Dad, on the other hand, thought that combat was essential to a hero's daily life. All the fighting took its toll on Dad physically, but the worst was kinda yet to come..." Jaxon trailed off.

"Jaxon? Are you alright?" Tsu asked.

"I'm fine. It's just... I really don't feel comfortable talking about that yet. Maybe some other time." He looked down, clearly upset.

"Um... if you say so..." Tsu glanced worriedly at Jaxon, then looked up. "Hey, we're here! Maybe we can get to the classroom before everyone leaves."

On the main pathway, Jaxon walked a bit behind Tsu. Suddenly, though, he felt a presence coming up behind him at a rapid pace. Before he could do anything, a massive hand clapped down on his shoulder. He turned around and looked up into the face of-

"I... am... HERE!" All Might exclaimed. "And I finally found you. Where did you go?"

"The hospital downtown," Jaxon replied. "Visiting my brother. You remember Alph, right?"

"Of course I remember him." All Might looked at Tsu. "Then, she...?"

"Followed me. I kinda didn't want the class to know I was gone. Guess I didn't cover my tracks very well." Jaxon looked over at Tsu and waved her off. "I'll be right there," he called. "I think." Then, he turned to All Might. "So... you were looking for me?"

"I wanted to talk to you about your actions today." All Might's smile was smaller than usual. "What you did during the attack was very brave. However, bravery and foolishness are often sides of the same coin. You risked your own life attempting to save someone who would easily have saved himself."

Jaxon sighed. "Mr. Aizawa was surrounded by a crowd of villains. If I... er, Wisp... hadn't acted-"

"Slow down there. Aizawa could have handled those villains on his own. You're under-estimating our teachers greatly. Come to think of it..." All Might put a finger on his chin. "You've been doing that since today started, haven't you?"

"Um... what are you talking about?"

"When I was explaining the rules of the rescue simulation. You didn't believe the simulation was adequate training. While I admire that you're always looking to improve things, there are times when you don't need to speak your mind about it."

Jaxon thought back to the conversation, then realized All Might was right. "Oh... I was pretty brash there, wasn't I..."

"Don't sweat it. Really, your ideas were impressive. But that wasn't the time, the place, or the person to give them to."

"I see." Jaxon sighed. "Well... thank you for the encouragement, and for the lesson. I'll try to keep it in mind."

"There's one other thing." All Might pulled out a file and rifled through it for a second. "Two questions. I still have a few forms I need to fill out. One, do you have a parental guardian?"

"What, like, a parent? Yeah, I've got one."

"Specifically, a father. Your mother only gave me her contact information, and I was wondering why your father wasn't involved."

"Dad hasn't been on the scene for years." Jaxon looked around to see if anyone was there, then continued. "He... lost his marbles. Went crazy and left."

"Oh. I'm... sorry to hear that," All Might said. "Truly, I am. That must be hard."

"Not really. I've gotten over it."

"That's something not a lot of people can say. Well, my other question is, is your Quirk registration up to date? The costume company wants to know so they can finish your uniform."

Jaxon remembered his mom sending the specifications of his uniform to City Hall a while back. "Yeah. They should know about my multi-man power and my copying Quirk."

"Good. That's all I needed. Thank you, young Jaxon, and I'll see you in two days." And just like that, All Might was gone, sprinting to his next job.

Jaxon watched him go, sighed, and turned back toward the school. He walked through the halls to the 1-A classroom. The moment he was inside, he was accosted by Kaminari and Mineta.

"Just who do you think you are, sneaking off with Tsu like that?!" Mineta snapped. "I've got half a mind to report you!"

Jaxon stepped back. "Whoa. I wasn't aware that she was even there until I got to my destination."

"And just where was this destination?" asked Kaminari. "Because there aren't that many places to go around here. Chances are you were looking for somewhere solitary and hoping she'd follow you."

Now Jaxon was irritated. "That's a dollar-store accusation if ever I saw one! If you MUST know, I was at the hospital, visiting my brother! I left alone so that none of you would notice me. Obviously, it didn't work. Would you two please leave it alone now?!"

Kaminari stepped back. "Okay, okay. But I'll be keeping an eye on you." He glared at Jaxon before walking away, dragging a fuming Mineta with him.

Jaxon shook his head, disgusted. "Some people..." he muttered.

Meanwhile, outside the classroom, Aoyama saw Ashido walking toward the 1-A door and ran up to her. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you," he said calmly. "This morning, when Jaxon was explaining his Quirk, why exactly did you faint?"

Ashido blushed. "Uh... I was hoping you didn't see that. I don't know. It's just... I have a long list of standards for guys, and I never expected to meet anyone who met all of them. But... just from looking at him, I could tell he met almost half the things on my list. Don't get me wrong, I'd like to get to know him personally before I make a decision to go any farther, but as of right now, I think I have a crush on him." She closed her eyes, realizing what she'd just said. "Oh my gosh, please don't tell anyone I said that!"

"Your secret is safe with me, _mademoiselle_."

At that moment, Aoyama made up his mind. The situation truly pained him, as he somewhat wished he was in Jaxon's position. But he cared for Ashido as a person and as a friend too much to let her pursue anyone he knew wasn't right for her. He would make absolutely certain that Jaxon was worth the affection of Mina Ashido.

Meanwhile, Jaxon was gathering his supplies and getting ready to leave. He was zipping his backpack when Hanta Sero approached him.

"Hey... Jaxon, is it?" Sero asked.

"That's me. Who's asking?" Jaxon put on his backpack.

"I'm Sero. I was watching you fight that bird guy from the Landslide Zone. That was pretty incredible."

"You mean my flop with the Copy Visor? Because the only incredible thing about THAT was that I survived." A surge of pain hit Jaxon, and he winced.

Sero noticed. "Still got those migraines, huh? No, that's not what I'm talking about. Remember how Midoriya said that Nomu was built to fight All Might?"

"Um, yeah?" Jaxon replied, confused.

"That big guy you switched to- the one with the robe, you know- fought that thing to a standstill."

"Oh." Jaxon thought a moment. "Yeah, I see what you're getting at, but that wasn't really that impressive. Dyno was just at a really good position in terms of leverage. He was nowhere near as strong as Nomu."

"Well, still, it was awesome." Sero grinned. "Not to mention, you basically saved All Might's life earlier!"

"Okay, now I KNOW you're nuts," Jaxon exclaimed. "What could I have possibly done to save ALL MIGHT?!"

"Hear me out. You know how he had to leave before we went to the USJ? Something to do with the paperwork he had to fill out because you transferred here?"

"Yeah?"

"If you hadn't been here today, All Might would have been at the USJ right with us, right?"

"I don't follow, chief."

"He would have been fighting Nomu from the start and wouldn't have been nearly as prepared."

"Whoa." The thought of All Might unable to be at his best to fight something that was engineered to battle against him was almost too much for Jaxon. "Huh. I guess you're right."

"Yeah. Don't let it get to your head, though." Sero grinned. "So... you and Tsu, huh?" he asked, nudging Jaxon with one elbow.

Jaxon's face instantly went tomato red. "Why is everyone assuming that today?!" he snapped.

"I wasn't. I just saw Mineta and Kaminari grilling you over there." Sero chuckled. "Don't mind them. They're kinda perverts, but overall they're good guys."

"Coulda fooled me," Jaxon muttered, glancing at Kaminari, who appeared to be having a scathing argument with Jiro. Kaminari finally threw his hands in the air and walked away. Jaxon sighed and shook his head, then noticed that two of his personalities were having a conversation.

 _So, Peras,_ Leo said dryly, _you haven't worked your magic in a while. What do you see in those two?_

Peras thought a moment. _Meh. There's a spark, but it'll never go anywhere. "Benedick and Beatrice" relationships seem nice on paper, but they have no evidence of working in real life. Plus, their personalities are super different, from what I've seen, and he seems to be the only one interested._

 _So, you'd give them a month?_ Leo asked.

 _That's a bit generous. Three weeks, tops, and that's if one of them doesn't cheat._

 _You've still got it, my guy!_ Leo cackled. _That never gets old!_

Jaxon had heard just about enough of this. _Guys, stop,_ he snapped. _Peras's "magic" gets me in trouble a lot. Don't risk it again._

Leo fired back instantly. _That was one time, and they got over it!_

 _I was hiding out at Chada's house for a week!_ Jaxon thought angrily. _That girl's entire family was after me!_

 _Alright, alright, calm your pecs,_ Peras muttered, then went quiet. So, reluctantly, did Leo.

Jaxon's face must have changed, because Sero looked at him quizzically and asked, "You okay there?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just... technically having a conversation with myself."

Sero laughed. "That's not as rare as you'd think around here. Hey, I've gotta go, but I'll see you around, okay?"

"Sounds good. I should be heading home anyways." Jaxon smiled at Sero and walked out of the classroom. He got to the main avenue and walked in the direction of the train station.

 _Leo?_ he thought. _Why did you ask about those two?_

Peras chimed in. _It's probably because he likes Tsu._

 _It is NOT because I like Tsu!_ Leo exclaimed. _I mean, not that I did in the first place. Wait, that came out wrong._

Dante, the Avian persona, spoke up. _Love is an odd being, Leo. It scorns him who seeks it, but throws itself ever the more furiously at him who denies it._

 _Shut up, chicken wing,_ Leo growled. _Or I might just cook your poetic butt to a golden brown._

Peras went ballistic. _DENIAL IS THE CLIN-_

 _Guys!_ Jaxon yelled. _I was asking a question! Why do you always get so fired up?!_

Peras apologized and quieted down again. Dante chuckled. _You didn't let me finish,_ he said to Jaxon, then addressed Leo again. _As I was saying, don't pursue a relationship with someone you just met, for sure. But don't write it off just yet, either._

Leo took a moment to reply. _Wow. That's actually... really good advice._

 _It's kind of my brand,_ Dante answered. _You are welcome._


	5. Chapter 5

Jaxon walked the main avenue after quieting his minds. Suddenly, he ran into someone, and staggered back. "Oh! I'm sorry!" he exclaimed.

Then he took a double take. Along with a triple shot of _deja vu_. He thought to himself, _where have I seen you before?_

The person in question was a short girl with long, brown hair. She had bangs that totally covered her eyes. Her mouth was set in a fixed expression of timid uncertainty. "Um, hi... Sorry about that..." she murmured, her voice hitching a little. "Wasn't watching where I was going..."

Jaxon smiled. "It's alright. I wasn't paying attention either." He cocked his head, a realization forming. "Hey, I saw you in the practicals. You're in class 1-B, aren't you?" _But that's not where I know you from._

The girl shuffled nervously. Her bangs wavered, but not once were her eyes revealed. "Yeah, that's me... I'm Komori. Kinoko Komori."

Jaxon's eyes widened. "Komori? Wait- what's your Quirk?"

"Mushrooms," Komori answered curtly.

Jaxon grinned and nodded as a wave of recognition hit him. "That's it! A mycota Quirk! Now I know where I've seen you before!"

"What?" She looked incredibly confused.

Jaxon explained. "We went to the same elementary school in Minato! You were in my class!"

"I don't remember that," Komori murmured uncomfortably.

"This oughta jog your memory," Jaxon replied. "You came up to me and a couple of my friends in second grade and asked us if you could play Capture the Flag with us. You tagged me, and you had your hand on my shoulder for just a little too long, and your spores knocked me out!"

Now it was Komori's turn to look surprised. "That was YOU?" she asked, looking up at Jaxon in shock. "But- but you moved away!"

"And now you know where to." Jaxon laughed and stuck out a hand. "Great to see you again, Komori."

She didn't take it. "You don't want to do that," she murmured. "Spores, remember?"

"Oh, right."

Suddenly, a new voice hissed from a ways off. "Komori!" it snapped. "Why are you fraternizing with someone from 1-A?"

"Oh, no..." Komori murmured, looking past Jaxon. "That's Kamakiri. He thinks this school is nothing but competition, and he's a huge jerk."

The voice got closer. "We don't talk to them, remember?" it asked.

"I don't remember saying I would do anything of the sort," replied Komori. her tone pure blue ice.

The voice finally got a face as it came around Jaxon's front. A tall boy with long arms, big red eyes, and a green mohawk stared down at Jaxon, who was surprised he hadn't noticed this guy before.

But the real shocker was on the sides of the kid's face. Two gigantic blades stuck out from his cheekbones and curved into mandibles at the ends. The boy looked like a giant preying mantis.

Jaxon stared up unwaveringly into Kamakiri's eyes. "You're intimidating, I'll give you that," he growled, "but you had best leave Komori alone. She isn't doing anything wrong."

"See," Kamakiri crowed, "that's EXACTLY why we don't talk to you. All you know how to do is order people around. Surviving a villain attack doesn't make you invincible, and it certainly doesn't give you authority over us!"

Jaxon's eyes grew dark. Almost all of his personas were geared to sic this maniac, but he restrained them. "Fine. Be angry at us for something we couldn't control. I can't stop you. But what I can do is ask you as politely as I dare: Please, could you leave your classmates out of this? Take it up with the blue-haired guy if you want to get attacked."

Kamakiri stood there, silent, for several seconds. Jaxon could sense a motion coming long before he saw it. The mantis boy's wrist and the blade of his hand sharpened into an actual blade, and he brought it to Jaxon's throat faster than a human can blink. Jaxon, meanwhile, brought his hand to Kamakiri's skinny waist and grabbed a pivotal nerve on his hip; if he squeezed _just so_ , Kamakiri would lose his ability to walk.

The boys stood there, staring into each other's eyes, for what seemed like hours, neither wanting to back down.

Jaxon had fire, ice, electricity, swords, martial arts, illusions, flight, and a jet robot at his disposal. But he won this battle on his own. Kamakiri stepped back. "You're not worth my time," he snarled. "But I'm warning you. If you mess with our class..." He swiped his blade through the air. "You get the message." Then he slunk away, probably looking for someone else to harass.

Jaxon turned back to Komori, but she was looking away. "I'm so sorry," she murmured, tears streaming down her face. "I had no idea he'd go that far."

"No, don't..." Jaxon walked forward and put a hand on Komori's shoulder. "You didn't know. It wasn't your fault. That guy's just a jerk, like you said. I'd frankly like to put his bug butt through a windshield."

Komori giggled through her tears. "Thanks," she half-whispered. "I needed that." Then she turned around. "I'll... I'll see you tomorrow, if Kamakiri doesn't maim you." And with that, she was gone.

Jaxon smiled. _Nice to see her again,_ he thought.

Most of the other personas murmured their agreement, but Peras was notably silent.


	6. Chapter 6

That night, at the hospital, Alph got into bed from his wheelchair and turned over to face the window. He smiled as he thought about his big brother. _Finally living his- no,_ our _dream,_ he thought. _It sucks that I can't go to the U.A., but at least Jax gets to._

Suddenly, he heard tapping sounds outside his room, then a raspy female voice. "He was here... my boy was just here not too long ago," the voice growled.

Alph closed his eyes on instinct. _This is weird. I must be hallucinating or something._

The tapping came closer. Something sharp prodded lightly against the back of Alph's head. _Nope. Definitely not hallucinating,_ he thought.

"Pity... you're asleep," the voice murmured. "You'd know where he is. Oh well..." It drew away from him. "I'd better try something else. The school, maybe? You won't get away from me this time..."

Alph waited a couple seconds, then turned over. He looked at the doorway. Nothing. Suddenly, though, he noticed a card on the bedside table that definitely wasn't there before. He picked it up and squinted to read it.

 _You didn't fool me,_ it read.

It was signed, _Oblivion._

Alph gulped and slid the card under his pillow. "I don't need to tell anyone about this, right?" he wondered aloud.

 _Who the actual heck is Oblivion?_

 _And who is her "man"?_


	7. Chapter 7

The next day in class, Jaxon walked in and sat next to Midoriya. The green-haired boy grinned at Jaxon. "Hey," he exclaimed. "I didn't see you after school."

"I swear," Jaxon replied, "if one more person makes a Tsu joke, I'm gonna-"

"Did someone mention your girlfriend?" Sero asked, coming up from behind and draping an arm around Jaxon's shoulders.

Jaxon calmly but firmly reached up and grabbed a pressure point on Sero's neck. The tape user instantly fell unconscious on Jaxon's shoulder.

Midoriya stared in shock. "How did you- I mean, is he going to-"

"Yeah, he'll be fine. May even wake up before homeroom." Jaxon deposited Sero in a desk, then turned back to Midoriya. "I don't really take well to that sort of thing."

Midoriya chuckled nervously, then had a thought. "Hey, there's something I've been meaning to ask you. You said you weren't here for the practical exam, right?"

"Yeah, that's right. I was helping my mom unpack from the move, and then we had to extract my brother Alph from the top of a roof." Before the green-haired boy could even talk, Jaxon added, "Don't ask."

"So, I was wondering... how did you get into the school?" Midoriya asked. "I mean, they only had your test score to go off of. Wouldn't they have told you to wait until next year, since all of the battle areas that we used for the practicals are in use during the school year?"

"A while ago, my dad had me go on rescues with him," Jaxon replied. "I didn't fight any villains or anything, but I was useful, I guess. People took tapes of the rescues and gave them to my dad as a sort of retirement gift when he stopped being a hero to take care of Alph, and I showed the tapes to the faculty in lieu of an examination. I'd like to say it was an on-the-spot acceptance, but the prospects were really good this year. I almost ended up in 1-B..." He shuddered. "...with that creep Kamakiri. Man, he might be a 'praying' mantis, but if that boy ever stepped into a church, he'd burst into flames."

Suddenly, a voice came from outside the door. "Yo! Jax! How'd you get here?!"

Jaxon turned his head quickly. He knew that voice. "No... freaking... _way._ " He got up and ran to the door of the classroom.

Standing in the hallway was Sakiva Chada. He and Jaxon had been best friends from the moment they'd started elementary school together up until the move from Minato. Chada was an orphan, but the government didn't know that, and because of how much of a help Chada was as a hero, they didn't care. Matter of fact, Chada had a whole team of hero teens that he'd scrounged up from the streets. Most of them had either lost one or both parents or had run away from home, and he took care of all of them.

And now, apparently, he was at the U.A.

"You made it, Bieber Bowl!" Jaxon exclaimed, riffing on Chada's hairstyle.

"Uh, yeah," Chada answered, ruffling his own hair offendedly. "Unlike your sorry butt, we got here in time for the practicals!"

"Nice to see you've still got your sharp wit," Jaxon sneered as a joke. "You got those fists, too?"

"You bet!" Chada threw an air punch. His Quirk, Boxer, allowed him to control every molecule in his hands and forearms to punch with insane force or even set his own fists on fire. He was a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, but not much of a rescuer.

Jaxon hesitated. "Wait, you said 'we'. Who else is-"

"All of the big wheels in Redemption's Road!" Chada interrupted. "Golden Sparkler's here, and so are Hairatic, Springload, Goomin, and Sir Hoots!" He beat his chest. "And Rokkem Sokkem makes six!"

"You still have those infernal nicknames?!" Jaxon snarked. "I mean, for pity's sake, _Rokkem Sokkem_? That is literally a children's toy!"

"I was ten, and it just stuck!" Chada exclaimed. "Besides, we deserve pro names. We're all practically pros. None of us are formally trained-" he shrugged- "but we've got more experience than any one of you!"

Mr. Aizawa broke up the reunion. "Don't you have somewhere to be?" he asked. "Homeroom's about to start."

"Aw, crap! Jax, look what you did, you made me late!" yelled Chada. "See you when I kick your butt in the Sports Festival!" He turned and ran down the hall.

"Don't count on it!" Jaxon fired back. He then glanced over at Mr. Aizawa. "I'm drawing a blank- what is the Sports Festival again?"

The teacher sighed as the rest of the class took their seats. "I forgot you moved here from under a rock," Mr. Aizawa murmured, turning to the class. He glanced over the room. "Can someone enlighten Jaxon as to the specifics of the Sports Festival?"

Iida raised his hand. "The Festival is a series of combat-related games with the purpose of showing professional scouts the capability of our class. If I remember correctly, the games include a race, a round robin tournament, and some sort of cavalry-based battle, although not necessarily in that order."

"Wait- so we're trying to get ourselves out there for the pros, is what I'm gathering," Jaxon said. "Alright, I get it. I'm gonna have to work really hard." He took his seat, all of his personas at attention.

Mr. Aizawa nodded. "Well said, Iida. Since the Festival is so soon, we're going to be spending a few days training. Use all of the facilities on campus, but don't leave it unchaperoned for any reason. If anyone wants to go to the USJ to train, come talk to me. Other than that, there isn't much I can say. Good luck, don't suck." With that, he drew up the zipper on his sleeping bag and toppled over.

Jaxon raised an eyebrow. "I guess that's that, then," he murmured.

The students grouped up to go to the different facilities. Jaxon was about to wake Sero up when a hand landed on his shoulder. He turned around warily. Standing there was a tall boy with white-and-red hair and a bored expression. _Todoroki, I think his name is._

Jaxon flinched a bit. "Um... hi?" he squeaked. This guy looked intimidating. "Can I help you?"

"We'll see," answered Todoroki. "I'm going to Battle City Beta, and I want to spar with you."

"Oh." Jaxon smiled, but he sure as heck didn't feel like smiling.

"You're the only person here whose skill level I have yet to judge," growled Todoroki. "Don't hold back."

Then he was gone.

Jaxon turned back around, gathering his thoughts. _Okay. I think I remember him being some sort of cold-based Quirk. Leo, you're in._

 _Hold up just a dang second,_ Leo replied. _Endeavor's kid? Are you nuts?! You might as well drop a bucket of water on my head! Do you REALIZE what happens when ice melts?!_

Jaxon sighed. _Rush? You think you can do it?_

Rush rarely spoke due to his constant meditation, but now he gave his opinion. _I am powerful, yes, but extreme temperatures such as Todoroki can create are a factor of extreme distraction for me. I cannot work without the utmost focus. Using me would be unwise._

 _Hey!_ Wisp shouted. _I'm here too, you know! I handle temperature really well, and I've got good range to boot!_

 _Alright, Wisp, good idea. Let's show him what you've got,_ Jaxon thought, pulling out the statue of the green orb. He switched to Wisp and turned to leave the classroom, unaware that the other students were staring at him.

Aoyama shuddered and leaned over to Ashido. "He has more courage than I," the French boy murmured. "Taking on Todoroki without a second thought."

"Yeah, but did you see how he looked after the challenge?" asked Ashido. "He was really scared. I dunno, this just seems like a bad idea. Maybe we should, I don't know-"

"Follow him?" asked the elusive Tokoyami, walking up behind them.

Both Ashido and Aoyama jumped. Ashido was the first to speak. "Um, yeah, that's what I was gonna suggest."

"You think I can't read you like a book?" Tokoyami prodded.

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

Aoyama broke up what he knew would be a heated argument. "I think Ashido's idea would be best. After all, we do not know that much about Todoroki... or his intentions."

Ashido was dumbfounded. "The son of Endeavor, in the Hero Course at U.A., and you're saying he might be _evil_?!"

" _Non, non, non_! I was merely saying that we could perhaps take this opportunity to see what he thinks of us as a whole." Aoyama deftly covered up the fact that he had indeed thought that Todoroki had villain potential.

Ashido glanced sidelong at Aoyama, before following Jaxon out the door. Aoyama and Tokoyami followed. Midoriya, Iida, and Uraraka went to Mr. Aizawa to get a pass to the USJ; Bakugou, Koda, Kirishima, and Sato went to the woods; Jiro, Hagakure, Shoji, Tsu, and Momo Yao headed for the gym, while Mineta and Kaminari decided to scheme about the 1-A girls.

Just as Kaminari found a secluded spot, he noticed a form standing in a dark hallway nearby. The electromancer walked closer suspiciously, but all he could see was a mass of lime-green hair. _Probably one of the girls from Class 1-B,_ he thought, approaching the form. "Hey," he said tentatively. "You... are you lost or something?"

The form said nothing. It just quivered a bit.

Kaminari continued. "If you're looking for one of the training areas, you're nowhere near them," he murmured, drawing close enough to reach out and tough the figure.

And that's when they came at him.

Quick as a flash, the person had Kaminari wrapped in their hair, and the teen could clearly see that this was a boy, not a girl. Kaminari had just stumbled on the Hairatic, also known as Azmoria Jotan. The Hairatic bared sharp, point-filed teeth and glared at Kaminari manaically. "I'll see you in the Sports Festival, Kaminari," he growled, releasing Kaminari. Jotan then sprang up and gripped a pipe on the ceiling with his hair, then used it to clamber away.

Kaminari was left dumbstruck. "How... how do you know my name?" he called, even though Jotan was clearly gone. "Weirdo."


	8. Chapter 8

Todoroki walked slowly through one of the buildings in Battle Area Beta. He looked into every room, trying to see if Jaxon would chicken out. Todoroki was just about to give up and assume the worst when he entered the last room in the building.

Wisp was standing on the ceiling, using increased static electricity on his shoes to generate the friction to stay up there. "Hey, Todoroki!" he exclaimed, more confident than Jaxon had been. "What's up? I didn't think you were gonna Show-to!"

Todoroki was not amused. "Do you want me to hang myself? Is that it?"

"Well, that's not part of the plan-" Wisp dropped down from his perch, twisted in midair, and landed on his feet. "-but no one's stopping you right now."

"Funny." Notably, Todoroki did not laugh. "Let's get right to the chase."

Outside the room, Tokoyami, Aoyama, and Ashido watched the two face off. Ashido went pale. "He's really doing it," she murmured. "He's fighting Todoroki."

"You're acting surprised. Why?" asked Aoyama. He grinned sidelong at Ashido. "It's almost like you're-"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Ashido closed her eyes and fully tensed.

Tokoyami shook his head. "What it is with you people and your relentless teasing, I'll never know. But for your sake, Ashido, I should tell you that I figured out what your deal is a long time ago."

"Y-you did? When?"

"The moment you fainted during class."

"How many people saw that?!" The acid girl was indignant, though that wasn't the only reason she was so red right now.

"Just about everyone," replied Aoyama.

Ashido groaned and covered her face with her hands. "This is worse than I thought," she murmured.

Wisp rubbed his hands together, building up energy for a powerful blast, under the guise of anticipation. "I gotta tell you, I think this is gonna be my best fight yet," he said, his eyes flashing. "You're 1-A's best fighter overall, and my power has a big advantage over yours. I think it's pretty even, don't you?"

"That may be so," replied Todoroki, "but the weapon is never half so great as the man behind it."

"Well said!" Suddenly, Wisp let out a loud yell and released all of his pent-up energy. "Heavy Voltage Burst!" A ball of electricity shot from Wisp's hands and directly at Todoroki.

The older boy threw up his hands and barely managed to block the ball of energy with a well-timed ice blast. He was forced to take a few steps back.

A dust cloud flew up from the attack. Todoroki squinted and fought to see inside the cloud. "Where are you..." he murmured.

Wisp's voice responded, but not to the question. "I always wondered why people don't use their strongest attack first," he drawled, shattering the fourth wall completely.

Todoroki raised one hand and cooled the room's air, freezing the dust so that it fell quickly. When it was gone, however, he didn't see Wisp anywhere. _That can only mean one thing..._ he thought, before sidestepping an electrically charged punch from behind.

Wisp stumbled forward, having missed his initial attack, and turned, delivering a solid kick to Todoroki's abdomen, which Todoroki then capitalized on to throw Wisp across the room. Wisp's hair sparked a couple of times as he made a static shield to stop himself from hitting the wall. _Crap... using too much power already?_ he thought. _That must have been one heck of an HVB back there. I'd better stick to physical attacks so I can charge up again._

Leo piped up. _Look out!_

Todoroki slammed a fist into the wall next to Wisp's head. Wisp ducked under it and swept Todoroki's legs, but the ice that the older hero had created was still in effect, and he used it to slide away from Wisp and flip back onto his feet.

Wisp began to rub his hands together again, generating more static. Todoroki raised one hand, forming an ice spear and getting ready to hurl it through whatever blast Wisp would create. The two were at a stand-off.

Ashido watched the battle from outside. "This is incredible!" she whisper-shouted.

Tokoyami was less impressed. "Wisp is holding his own, but Todoroki has an advantage in almost every area. I can't see this ending well."

"You never see anything ending well," answered Aoyama. He put a hand on his hip. "I, on the other hand-"

Suddenly, voices broke up the ensuing argument. "Hey! You kids need to get out of here, NOW!"

Wisp stepped forward, creating a wall of static in front of him. "Try getting past this!" he taunted.

But before Todoroki could move, Ashido burst into the room, followed by Tokoyami, Aoyama, and Cementoss. The pro hero looked over the group. "There's been another Level Three security breach," he snapped. "We all need to leave. The villain is headed right for this building!"

Wisp thought a moment. "Can you describe the villain to us? Just so we know who to run from?"

Cementoss nodded. "Her upper half is a young blond woman with purple eyes and a thin frame. The bottom half... is a gigantic spider, for lack of a better term."

Wisp paled. "W-w-what? She's here NOW?!"

Ashido turned to Wisp. "You know the intruder?" she pressed.

"Yep..." Wisp sighed. "Her name is Tania Tomoka, and she went to my junior high school in Minato." He left out a key detail, then went on. "I know how to beat her, but we'll need as much light as we can get."

"Light? Go outside. We're in broad daylight," Tokoyami pointed out.

"Not sunlight. Brighter, or at least brighter from here. Something like..." Wisp turned to Aoyama. "You."

"Now, hold on." Cementoss interrupted the planning. "You can't honestly say that the secret to sending this villain packing is _light_?"

"First of all, I know for a fact she's not a villain. Second, I went to junior high with her, and she was in most of my classes. I have a lot of her powers and weaknesses memorized."

"Well, if that's the case," Cementoss replied with irritated sarcasm.

A _CRASH!_ sounded from outside in the hall. "I know you're here, copy boy," a girl's voice taunted, in a psychopathic singsong. "I can sense you! I have ever since you left me!"

"Copy! That's MY Quirk!" Jaxon whispered to Cementoss. "Now do you believe me?!"

"Don't get yourself killed," responded Cementoss, but he waved an arm, signaling Jaxon and Aoyama to move.

Ashido came forward. "I'm coming with you!" she exclaimed. "Just in case one of you gets hurt!" She ran out the door after Aoyama. At this point, Cementoss wasn't even going to try to stop her.

Tokoyami cocked his head. "What does she mean by Jaxon having 'left' her?"

"I... Don't ask me," the teacher replied, rubbing his head. "These relationships... these lines between heroes and villains are getting much too blurred nowadays. Makes it hard for me to tell which is which."

"That sounds like foreshadowing if ever I saw it," murmured Tokoyami, taking his own crack at the fourth wall.


	9. Chapter 9

Cementoss had described Tomoka rather correctly, but what Wisp and Aoyama saw the moment they left the building still defied all logic. The girl's lower body indeed resembled a spider, as the hero had said. However, Cementoss had left out that the spider looked to be made entirely of purple-and-black shadows, and stood on four spindly, needle-sharp legs. Moreover, in place of the spider's head, there were two huge, crazed orange eyes and a maw resembling a canyon, if a canyon could contain the literal embodiment of darkness. The entire lower half of Tomoka's body looked to be about six feet tall.

Then there was the girl herself. Jaxon hadn't seen Tomoka in several months, since junior high had ended, but he'd assumed she'd stay the same, looks-wise. Man, was he wrong. She'd gone platinum blonde from her normal black hair, completely changed her style of clothing to match her Quirk, and somehow, her eyes had turned from blue to orange. She wore a consistent blush on her cheeks, which somehow made her look even more psychotic.

Wisp began to move his hand back and forth discreetly on his shirt. He'd need to charge a _lot_. "Tania," he murmured, staring up at the girl. "It's been a while. You're looking well."

"You too," answered Tomoka, grinning savagely. All this effort, and her target basically went to her on a platter. This couldn't get much better.

Then Ashido caught up with Wisp and Aoyama, and stopped. "Whoa," she muttered. "Who's that?" She moved a little closer to Wisp, shuddering.

Tomoka saw this motion, and all four of her eyes narrowed. She glared at Wisp. "You move on _so fast_ , Jaxy," she drawled, stalking forward. "You always have, if I remember correctly."

"There was never anything to move on from!" yelled Wisp. "I told you to stay in Minato for a reason! How many times do I have to tell you that?!"

"Tell me all you want; the heart wants what the heart wants," Tomoka replied, rubbing her front legs together. "Now, either you come with me or you all face consequences."

She stormed forward, the spider mouth roaring ferally. Her legs stabbed the ground right next to Aoyama, who used his laser to dodge them. Aoyama landed on his feet, slid back a few meters, and righted himself gracefully. He sprinted forward and tried to get off a good blast, but Tomoka was simply too quick for him, moving her insectoid legs like a dancer.

"Wisp! _Mon ami!_ What are you waiting for?!" Aoyama yelled.

"I need to charge!" Wisp responded, rubbing his hands together. His hair flared up; now he was at full power. "Laser Arsenal! Now!"

"On it!" exclaimed the Sparkling Hero, turning back to Tomoka, who was stalking toward him, all four of her eyes focused on the threat of his laser light. He smiled at her. " _Mon cheri_ , it's been swell. But I think it's time we said _adieu_." He put his hands behind his head and fired a barrage of laser blasts at Tomoka's arachnid body.

The spider girl jumped, twisted, and managed to dodge all of the lasers but one, which hit her in the leg. To everyone's surprise except for Wisp's, the leg disintegrated from the spot of impact down, turning into a pile of purple dust, which promptly blew away.

"Aww!" snapped Tomoka, landing on her three good legs. "I only made four legs for this because I thought you were going to be the gentle, timid Jaxy I always knew and loved, and that you'd come willingly! But _nooo,_ you had to ruin it! You think you have me figured out, do you?!" She struggled to stay up.

"No," replied Wisp. "I know I have you figured out. Your weakness, anyways." He pushed his hand out, sending a Heavy Voltage Burst her way.

The electric ball had almost hit her when she dropped in the direction of her bum leg and rolled into a somersault. She passed under the ball and stood up again, towering over Wisp. But now, she could see Cementoss and Tokoyami coming, and she knew that other heroes would soon be here. "Drat," she murmured. "I've lost the element of surprise." She raised her hand and began to disappear. "You may have figured out my power," she screamed, "but this isn't over! Jaxon Sachizado, I WILL have you yet! And when I do, you're not getting away!"

Then she vanished completely. The last things to disappear were her eyes, still as manaical, still as lovestruck, as the moment she'd appeared.

Tokoyami, Todoroki, and Cementoss got to the others just as Tomoka vanished. The pro looked around. "What happened?" he asked.

Wisp lowered his hands. "She left- _BZZT!_ " His entire body vibrated intensely as a runaway electric current lanced through him.

Ashido jumped at the buzzing noise, despite being several meters away from the electromancer. "Wisp!" she exclaimed. "Are you okay?!"

"Yeah, I- _BZZT!_ \- just used a little too much- _BZZ BZZ!_ \- static. I go a little- _BZZZT!_ -haywire when that happens. But I should be-" Suddenly, his eyes rolled up into his head, and he began to topple backward.

Ashido was at the boy's side faster than a human could blink, and lowered him gently to the ground. She fanned at his face with one hand and at her own with the other, a gesture that only Tokoyami and Aoyama understood. The two guys looked at each other and grinned, though Ashido's motions only lightened the mood a little bit; an intruder had just attacked them, after all.

Todoroki and Cementoss stood back and discussed the situation. Cementoss shook his head. "I'm going to have to report this incident to the school board," he said.

Todoroki looked away pensively. "Two level 3 breaches in two days?" he asked. "She couldn't have been connected to the ones from before. Their leader was short-sighted, but he wasn't an idiot, and returning to the crime scene would be the idiot's move."

"It appears she knew Jaxon personally," replied Cementoss. "None of the villains ever referred to Jaxon by name, so you're probably right."

"Guys," Ashido interrupted, "he's not waking up!"

Tokoyami sighed. "Have you tried slapping him?"

"Several times!" Ashido exclaimed. "That's really embarrassing, you know! Slapping someone you-" She stopped herself. "Slapping your classmate across the face!"

"Wait," Aoyama murmured. "He has to build up static to attack, _oui_? Then, could you perhaps revive him with the same?"

Ashido hesitated, looking down at her hands. "I dunno..."

Aoyama smiled, but it was grim. "Do you want him to wake up or not?"


	10. Chapter 10

Meanwhile, at the USJ, Midoriya was in his own brand of trouble. He, Uraraka, and Iida had arrived at the facility ready to train together. Once they got inside, though, a pair of talons flashed through the air and nearly gave Deku a haircut before slamming into the front wall.

"AWRRK! Sorry!" exclaimed a voice. A boy with the head, wings, and legs of an owl dropped to the ground. "Out of the way, hurry!" he added, running away from them hastily.

Uraraka tilted her head. "What was that about?" she asked.

Suddenly, a firework exploded above her head, nearly frying her own hair. A short, thin girl with blonde hair dropped through the smoke. "Get back here, Anso!" she yelled. "I'm not finished with you!" She shot more fireworks from her hands, using them to propel her through the air.

Chada, the Boxer hero, chased the other two next, but Iida stopped him. "What in the name of sanity is going _on_?!" Iida asked. "Two students just ran by us, and one looked like she was about to kill the other one!"

"Yeah, figured as much," Chada replied, panting from running after his friends. "Kira Firani. Pyrotechnic manipulation. Hot temper. Hates to lose. Going all out against Anso."

"How do you know that much about her?" questioned Uraraka.

Chada turned a world-weary smile on the Float girl. "She's one of mine," he answered. "Lives in the kid commune I run in Yokohama. Redemption's Road."

"Wait- you run a _commune_?" exclaimed Midoriya, wide-eyed.

"Yeah," Chada replied. "and this is the first year any of our heroes have been able to attend U.A. We got six in this time around."

"But... how?"

"Well, the Beetle kid, Butomu Rino, bombed the written part, or we'd have seven."

"No, I mean... how did you get the clearance to run a commune?"

"Ah. That's a complicated question." Chada sighed. "Short answer? I have friends in high places."

Iida snapped his hand to his forehead. "If you run the facility, and you're here-"

"I left another hero in charge, by the name of Jisei Henkasuru, the Surface Tension Hero. And now, I gotta get back to practice." Chada turned and ran after Firani and Anso. The three 1-A students looked at each other and shrugged, then went to the Earthquake Zone. There really wasn't a better place to practice physical combat, which all three specialized in.

Once there, another surprise hit the three. Uraraka saw a green blur shoot from building to building. The blur suddenly stopped short in midair and redirected itself, hitting what appeared to be a human covered in some sort of sludge. Both students were falling toward the ground with no visible means of staying in the air. Midoriya and Iida reacted immediately, running toward the place of impact.

The green blur landed a good punch and kick, then was thrown off of the goo user. Both of them were shocked, though, when they were separated and gently brought to the ground by Iida and Midoriya.

"Aw, man!" exclaimed Jotan, jumping out of Iida's arms. "I almost had you!"

"Says you!" replied a feminine voice. It took Deku a second to realize the voice was coming from the pile of goo he was holding in both arms, and another second to realize that he was holding a girl in a pile of goo. The sludge melted away, and a girl with light blue hair and green eyes hopped down and charged Jotan. Another ball of goo covered her fist as she stepped into a right hook, which blatantly missed Jotan and headed straight for Iida.

Uraraka jumped into the fray and touched Jotan and the girl, the latter of whom shrieking slightly as she was lifted into the air by her own force. Jotan turned to Uraraka in midair, resting his whole body in his hair. "So... Ochako Uraraka, Tenya Iida, and Izuku 'Deku' Midoriya... Joint training it is, then?"

His hair shot out and wrapped around Uraraka's waist. Deku jumped up and tried to grab her, but the hair simply pulled her farther away. The girl, meanwhile, reformed her goo shell and struck out at Iida, who promptly spun away, crying, "Don't get that on my uniform! You'd show disrespect to the company who made it and the school that gives it by doing so."

The girl hesitated. "Don't want my melee attacks? Fine," she murmured, raising one hand. "Have a Goomy instead!" A ball of goo broke off of her hand and shot at Iida with blinding speed, splattering onto his face. Midoriya ran forward and tried to help Iida, but the girl spun around and targeted him. "You aren't exempt from the Goomy tax, either!" she exclaimed, firing another ball of goo at him. It attached to his arm firmly, and he realized that it was moving on its own- and that it had a mouth that was about to chomp down on him.

"Hey! Arrk! 1-A guys!" yelled a voice. Anso dropped down from the air and swiped at Midoriya's arm. "I got you covered! Get the girl away from Jotan!"

That looked like it would be darn near impossible.

Jotan and Uraraka were nearing the tops of the buildings.

Jotan smiled down at his foes. "So, Uraraka," he murmured, "we're gonna be here a while. It doesn't look like you're gonna return my gravity any time soon, and I'm not releasing you until you do. Wanna talk?" He hesitated. "Oh, wait, sorry." He removed his hair from her face. "Okay, _now_ do you want to talk?"

Uraraka shook her head and spat out a black hair. "What gives?! We just got here, and you're trying to kill us!"

"I'm what gives," replied Jotan. "I assume you know where we're from. The Redemption's Road heroes were having a training match... a team battle, if you will. Your friends separating me and Shiori kind of broke the vibe. And I don't take kindly to having my vibe broken."

"Sounds kind of selfish," Uraraka snapped.

"Maybe so," Jotan said, a tendril of green hair rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "but isn't it natural for someone who can't feel?"

"What?"

"My Quirk, Insomnian, basically reverses the functionality of my hair cells and my nerve cells. I can move my hair freely, but..." He shrugged. "I can't feel my body at all. And on top of that, my affected nerves are directly connected to my right brain."

Realization sank in, and it hit the girl hard. "You... you have..." Uraraka was speechless.

"No emotion or expressive ability whatsoever." Jotan smiled. "So I just... do whatever. Try to get what enjoyment I can out of life. That's why I became a hero... because my Quirk limits me, limits every area of my life. I want to get rid of those limits."

"Why are you telling me this?" asked Uraraka. "You barely know me."

Jotan thought a moment. "Because I knew you'd listen. My fellow RR members, they've heard it all before, and they say 'go for it'. I wanted someone to tell me I was wrong, because then I know they're listening. And you..." He smirked. "You let your guard down way too easily."

Suddenly, his hair swung down, throwing Uraraka at Iida, who'd just bounded off the wall of a building to catch her. She slammed into him, quickly making them both weightless and releasing Jotan, who dropped into a different building. He looked at Uraraka from the other side, and she glared daggers at him. "You jerk!" she yelled. "Psycho!"

"Why, thank you, m'lady," Jotan replied, bowing noncommittally. "It's an honor to have the truth told of you, more so than a compliment!" And with a loud cackle, he was gone, off to find and harass Firani.

"Uraraka, are you okay?" asked Iida.

"I'm fine," she replied, dusting herself off. A green hair clung to her, and she swiped it away in disgust. "Is _he_ okay?!"

"I've never seen a Quirk quite like his," murmured Iida. "It seems to have affected every aspect of his being."

"That's for sure. And none of it's good." Uraraka thought about Jotan's 'disorder'. He'd seemed normal enough... but then, so had Mineta, until she'd actually met him. _What has that Chada guy gotten himself into?_ she thought _._

 **Hello, everyone! I... Am... the Great Mighty Poo! LAAH! Anyways, I just wanted to thank those devoted few who actually follow the story, and ask a few questions.**

 **1\. What do you think of my Redemption's Road characters? I still have one to introduce, and that'll come later, but we've got Zan Shiori (Goo-ipulation), Ari Anso (Am-Owl-gamate), Azmoria Jotan (Insomnian), Sakiva Chada (Boxer), and Kira Firani (Fireworks) for now.**

 **2\. What should I do next- a canon event, or a non-canon one?**

 **3\. Any of Jaxon's forms that need more time in the limelight? Look back at chapter 2 for a rundown on all of them.**

 **Again, thanks to all of you! Remember to leave a review, and as always, happy reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

"WHADDAYA MEAN, IT'S MY FAULT?!"

"YOU STARTED IT, BOMB-FOR-BRAINS!"

Since the beginning of the school year, Chiyo Shuzenji, or Recovery Girl, never thought she'd see the temper equivalent to Katsuki Bakugou.

In this specific situation, she was wrong.

Lacy Robinson, another American transfer in 1-C, had been training in the woods surrounding the main building of U.A. when she'd run into Bakugou. The girl's water-manipulation power was usually very useful in fights, but Bakugou hadn't found it nearly as impressive as the faculty who'd accepted her two weeks in.

"I started it?! Hello, retard, anyone home?! You came at me first!" yelled Bakugou.

"I was GREETING you!"

"You dumped ice water on me!"

"AFTER you tried to blast my head off!"

"I was training, and I can't WORK when I'm freaking COLD!"

"Well, sor-RY my Quirk isn't called 'Jacuzzi'!"

"Children, enough!" exclaimed Recovery Girl. "This kind of insubordinate squabbling is too petty for heroes-in-training!"

"He started it!"  
"She started it!"

"I don't care who started it!" replied Shujenzi. "I'll finish it!" As she wrapped a burn on Lacy's leg, the aged hero glared at both children to let them know she was not kidding.

Bakugou huffed and turned away, as was his nature. Recovery Girl was used to that. What she was not used to, however, was Lacy's response. The girl brushed her blue-and-orange hair aside and glanced over at Bakugou. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "It was immature of me to assume you wanted to train with me. I'll make sure to ask next time." Her Japanese was slightly broken, as was usually the case with transfers (except Jaxon), but she got her point across well.

"Yeah, you better," snarled Bakugou, but with less conviction than before. Anyone looking closely at him would see a tinge of red on his face; he was about as used to Lacy's sudden mood shift as Shujenzi was.

Recovery Girl smiled at Lacy. "If what I'm hearing from the both of you is true, then yes, you acted immaturely in the moment. But right now, what you just said... Even I don't act that mature all the time." She looked sternly at Bakugou. "You could take some notes from Lacy here, young man!"

"Whatever! Look, I didn't come to U.A. to learn how to make friends!" Bakugou snapped. "So BACK OFF and let me live MY LIFE how I see fit!"

A sigh escaped Recovery Girl's lips before she could stop it. "See to it he doesn't kill you before I come back," she said to Lacy, before leaving the room to see another patient.

Lacy turned to Bakugou again. "Um... are you oka-"

"DO I LOOK LIKE I'M FREAKING OKAY?!"

"Oh. Sorry." She tried a new tactic now. "So... what _did_ you come to U.A. for?"

"What does it look like?! To become a professional hero!"

"Yes, I understand that. I did the same thing."

"Then I don't see the PROBLEM!"

"I'm just trying to make conversation! We won't be leaving for a while, so painful as it may be, we'd better start to get to know each other." Lacy's hair fell over her eye again, but she made no move to push it away. "I already apologized to you. Let's start fresh, okay?"

"Whatever!" Bakugou snapped. He let out an irritated sigh. "I want to be a hero because, well, look at All Might. He's got everything. He's the most powerful man alive. He's famous. He has the world in the palm of his hand. And if he can get it..." He clenched a fist, smiling darkly. "So can I."

"Cool." Lacy smiled, running a hand through her hair. "I'm here because I got kicked out of my last school."

"Kicked out? What the frick did you do?!" asked Bakugou. Now he was interested.

"Controlled a kid's blood. I was about to give him a heart attack."

"Seriously?! You control water AND blood?"

"Well, yes, I can manipulate blood, but that takes a lot of concentration... and really dehydrates me. I usually stick to pure water. Makes life easier."

"That sucks. You're wasting your talent. If I had your power, I'd be blood-bathing people left and right!"

"Katsuki- is that your name? You've got a choice here." Lacy's demeanor switched on a dime, and her eyes darkened. Her smile never left her face. "You've either got a strong friend in me, or a horrible enemy. Which is it, Bakuboy?" She reached forward and wrapped a hand around Bakugou's arm.

Bakugou felt a tight pull on his chest that seemed to come from every area of his body. His eyes widened in realization of just what this pull was. And for the first time in his life, the Blast Zone Hero was afraid.

 **Hey everyone! Another chapter has come, and with it another 1-C phenom! Is the Beryl Hero: Aquamarian, aka Lacy Robinson, friend or foe? And will Bakugou survive this semester without cardiac failure? Anyhow, I just wanted to say "Hey!" to everyone who follows me or my story, and to encourage you to leave a review if you have the time. I'd appreciate any input you have. Thank you all! Also, for more 1-C character descriptions, read the previous chapter.**

 **Peace out! Until the next chapter!**


	12. Chapter 12

_Whack! BZZT!_

Wisp's hair flared back to an electric life immediately after Ashido's slap. He shook his head and sat up, panting. "Whoa! What happened? Is she gone?!" he asked. Suddenly, his hair sparked down, and he reverted to his base form.

Jaxon rubbed his cheek and glanced at Ashido. "You slapped him." It wasn't a question, but a statement. And a funny one, judging from the grin on the T.A.C user's face.

"It was Aoyama's idea!" exclaimed the pink girl, covering her face with her hands.

" _Mon cherie,_ I had nothing to do with it," replied Aoyama, glancing over at Tokoyami, who only shrugged.

"When you weren't waking up," murmured the bird, "Ashido tried slapping you to force you to regain consciousness. It clearly didn't work, so Aoyama suggested that she rub her hands together to make static and try again." He looked down, as if embarrassed to have said even that much.

"Well, thanks. All of you." Jaxon smiled, getting up and stretching. He brushed his hair out of his eyes and looked over at Todoroki. "Another time, man."

"Agreed." Todoroki turned and began to walk away. Cementoss followed, muttering under his breath. Aoyama used his laser to blast away and look for another opponent, leaving only Tokoyami and Ashido standing with Jaxon.

Ashido put a hand on Jaxon's shoulder. "You sure you're alright?" she asked. "You used a lot of power."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Even my headache isn't too bad right now. Might have been the sleep. I don't get too much sometimes. Headache and all." The brunette yawned, and for the first time Ashido and Tokoyami saw a set of three scars bisecting his right eye.

Dark Shadow popped out of Tokoyami, using one shadow hand to brush against the scars. "Where did you get these?" it asked, tilting its head.

Tokoyami tried to call back the shade, but Jaxon laughed. "My friend Chada used to own a cat, and it hated me with a passion. One time, his family went to Austria for a month, and my mom house-sat. Of course, the one time I went in, the sucker was basically sitting right inside the door and BAP!" He feigned striking himself in the eye. "I was ambushed!"

"How are you so calm?!" asked Ashido. "You literally _just_ got ambushed _again,_ by a girl with a really powerful Quirk! How do you know she won't try to attack you again?"

"First of all, emotional extremes are the area of my other forms' expertise. I'm calm simply because I don't know how to be anything else. Second, I've learned her pattern. She'll only come after me if she knows there won't be anyone else around, and she usually stays away from places she's already tried."

"It's so weird," Ashido shuddered. "First that 'League of Villains', then this. It's like we're a homing beacon to villainy." She shook her head, beginning to walk away. "It's too much to process on an empty stomach. I'm going to get some lunch."

"I'll be leaving too," added Tokoyami. He glanced at Jaxon. "It might be wise if you come along as well."

"Alright." Jaxon nodded and walked behind Ashido. He let his hair fall back over his face as he walked, and when Tokoyami split off at the cafeteria and Ashido ran over to her friends, the boy found himself alone. He glanced around, his breath quickening slightly, and got into the lunch line to order.

Ashido sat down next to Jiro, her lunch in her bag. She decided not to bring up Tania's attack. "What's up?" she asked, directed at everyone at the table.

"Actually, I have a question for you," replied Yaoyorozu, her eyes boring straight into Ashido's . "What do you think of the American?"

"Jaxon? He's nice. Really observant. Quiet, though. Why, are you not a fan?"

"You could say that. He seems... aloof. Distant. Like he doesn't know about us and doesn't care." Yaoyorozu shook her head. "And he always looks like he's bored out of his mind. Personally, I think he's got problems."

"I'll say one thing for him," murmured Jiro, taking a sip of her Mountain Dew. "His eyes are beyond gorgeous. It looks like you're staring into a pool filled with lightning."

"Do me a favor and don't ever say that to his face," replied Uraraka, drawing a laugh from the whole table, even Momo. "And I agree with Ashido. He's not aloof, he's just got a really bad headache because of his Quirk."

"Speaking of his Quirk..." Tsu murmured. "Did he turn into another form at the Battle City?"

"Um, he was the electric one- Wisp, that's it- and then he changed back to himself toward the end," replied Ashido.

"Did he _change_?"

"What- like his clothes? How should I know?!"

"No. His appearance."

"Actually, yeah, he did. His eyes turned green. So did his hair." She cocked her head. "Why do you need to know?"

"I- _Ribbit!_ I was just wondering... He turned into his fire form at the USJ, and he looked pretty different. I wanted to know if he always did that."

* * *

"Dude, they're talking about you over there," said Sero.

"Wha-" Jaxon had just gotten his takoyaki and sat down next to Ojiro. "You sure?" he asked.

"Yep. Yaoyorozu said something about 'the American'," Sero replied, grinning. "Guess they can't get enough of a new thing."

"I think you need to get a hearing aid," Jaxon replied, stuffing a bite of octopus into his mouth. He pretended to have another headache surge, putting a hand over his face to hide the blush that was crossing it. "No way are they talking about me. Half of them haven't even talked _to_ me."

"I don't know," Ojiro murmured teasingly. "You've caused quite a stir here these last two days." He chuckled. "Maybe they've all grown obsessed with you!"

"N-no... I d-don't think that's it." Jaxon sighed. "Look, when a girl talks about me and I'm not around, it's rarely good. I've had it happen a lot." He shook his head. "Not a good situation."

Sero sensed that this was a sore spot for the T.A.C hero. "So," he exclaimed, changing the subject, "I've been thinking. We're all in the Hero Course... what are our names going to be when we become full-fledged?"

"I don't know about you, but I'm gonna stay Mashirao long after high school," replied Ojiro, grinning savagely and leaning back in his chair.

"Shut up. You know what I mean. I was thinking about Cellophane-"

"Hold it right there." Jaxon glanced over at Sero, his gaze serious. "You're the Tape Hero, right? What kind of name is Cellophane? I've got a better one for you," he said. He pulled out his phone and began typing into it, pulling up a video and showing it to Sero. An American commercial. A man was yelling about his new brand of tape. He suddenly pulled out a chainsaw and sawed a bucket in half, yelling manically, then proceeded to fix the bucket with his tape.

The video was hilarious, but as far as the inspiration, Sero was unimpressed. "And I'm supposed to get a name out of this?"

Jaxon grinned. "Look at the title," he replied.

Sero glanced at the phone, and the name suddenly came to him.

He and Jaxon said it at the same time: "Flex."

* * *

 **So, recap: Ashido slapped Jax. Nosy girls are nosy. Sero finally has a decent hero name. Anyways, hi everyone! Nothing new was really introduced in this chapter, but as always, leave a review or PM me if you have anything you'd like to add. Including one last member of 1-C, which- oh yeah- only has 19 students so far! If you have any ideas, send them to me by either method above and I'll give you credit!**

 **Bye for now!**


	13. Chapter 13

"Alrighting, class." Kyosan Shugisha looked over Class 1-C, the new third addition to the Hero Course. It was two days before the Festival, and everyone was pretty much insane. "You vill be battling Class 1-A today. In tournament of martial art. No Quirks." He nodded to himself. Being quite Russian, it often took him a while to think of words when he had to speak Japanese. "You each have assigned to opponent already. Tournament is to get know members of other class. Make proud me." He began to walk around the room, stopping at the desk of a girl with an axelike red mohawk, bulging biceps, and a deep tan.

The girl, Kirima Kitanai, glanced up at her teacher, turning one finger into a claw and tapping it against her chin seductively. "You got something to redistribute?" she asked, her arms sharpening into intense-looking blades.

"Kitanai, you vill be to battling Eijiro Kirishima. He can turn body to rock."

"So..." She smiled, her head tilting. "He can get as hard as he wants... on command? Sounds hot. I'm in."

"Now then. Uta." This was directed at a young man in the second row. He had black hair with blue tips, and was nodding to his own beat, apparently ignoring his teacher. "Uta. UTA!" shouted Mr. Shugisha, to no avail.

"Um, Mr. Shugisha? He's deaf," the tiny Ju Kozeni reminded the teacher. "Unless you sang it to him, maybe, but we all know how that'd turn out." Indeed, Uta's Quirk basically eliminated his hearing, towards anything but music. However, when he listened to music, he became stronger, or faster, or smarter, or any number of other things, depending on the song.

"No, is right, I forget." The Commune Hero strode to his desk and pulled out a paper. He walked over to Uta and placed the paper in front of him.

Uta glanced over the paper:

 _Jaxon Sachizado_

 _Quirk: T.A.C_

 _He can turn his mental personalities into physical forms. Each has a different ability and weakness._

Below the words were pictures of Jaxon, Leo, Chill, Dyno, Simi, and Wisp. Uta grinned and rubbed his hands together. _I'm gonna have fun today,_ he signed to his friend Suuten Kaisuru, a chubby brunette girl with layered, blue-and-green eyes.

"You next, Air Pump," Shugisha said to Kaisuru, who blushed and looked intently away. The teacher took no notice. "You vill battle Fumikage Tokoyami. He have living shadow in him. Powerful at big range. Not so much close up."

"Got it." Kaisuru closed her eyes and began to breathe deeply, her entire body expanding as she did. She retained the bright red on her round cheeks, and cursed herself for being so easy to embarrass. Her Air Pump Quirk allowed her to inhale air and expand her body, letting her increase her strength and size or even float for short periods of time.

A voice from the other side piped up. "Pardon the intrusion," snapped Tsubasa Hari, the vines on his arms raising snobbily, "but do we _have_ to battle against the daisy pushers?"

"Ah. Hari. You are ranked highest in class? You vill battle highest member of 1-A. Shoto Todoroki."

"Hold on. I know that name." Hari grinned. "Interesting. I don't need his Quirk, though."

"Al-alright..." Shugisha shook his head. "Pikkeru Ago?"

"H- _clackclackclack_ Here!" The little boy had shot up from his seat, but his horribly broken jaw (a result of his Ice Fang Quirk) had slammed into itself, causing him immense pain.

"Careful, Ago. Do not hurt self. You vill be battling Hanta Sero. He produce trap tape from elbows. Make him very mobile."

"Alright... I-I'll do my best!" Ago grimaced and sat back down, nursing his jaw. His fanglike mouth worked back and forth, and he tried to stop it, to no avail. It was a shame. He was an incredibly smart student, studious above all else, but his Quirk, which made his jaw insanely strong and allowed him to breathe a nitrogen-like substance that froze things on contact, more than inhibited him from his true potential.

Kaiten Iatsu fluttered her eyelashes and raised her hand, her perfectly rounded, light green haircut not moving at all. "Who am I battling, sir?" she asked, resting the back of her hand on the table so as not to start it spinning (her Quirk allowed her to cause anything she touched to start spinning rapidly, at a rate and direction of her choice, but it made her lightheaded and messed up her impeccable makeup, so she'd often avoid using it.

"Iatsu, Iatsu, Iatsu... oh, _da_. You are against Yuga Aoyama."

"Oh. I fought alongside him in the entrance exam. Navel laser, right?"

" _Da_. Be careful. Nibaino Chikara?"

"Hmph." A giant of a boy with three red mohawks got up from his slouched position, staring into the teacher's eyes defiantly. "Yeah?"

"You vill battle Rikido Sato. He eats sugar, gets stronger, gets dumber. Like you, but with food involving."

"Grr..." Chikara shook his head and slumped back down. He didn't enjoy school very much. His Quirk was all about physicality: he could summon a clone of himself, and if he and the clone mirrored each other's actions, the overall force of the attack would be magnified tenfold. He'd already chosen an intimidating name for himself: Shadowman.

Hitoshi Shinso cracked his knuckles. "I'm going to take a stab and say I'm fighting a physical brawler," he murmured.

"Ah- yes, indeed, you vill. Mezo Shoji. He has tentacles, can duplicate body parts on them." Shugisha nodded at Shinso, a wide grin on the teacher's face. Shinso didn't have the best grades in the class (in fact, he was third lowest, above only Chikara and Firani), but he was quite observant when it came to battle, using his reflexes and brainwashing Quirk in deadly fashion.

Kozeni raised his hand. "Uh, no disrespect, teach, but I don't get something. If this tournament bans Quirk usage... why are we getting the opponents' Quirks?" The blaster that served as his right hand rested on the back of his shoulder awkwardly.

"You do this for a reason, Kozeni. See, even if you not need opponent's Quirk for this tournament, Sports Festival is very soon." Mr. Shugisha glared at his problem student. Kozeni was a boy of very loose morals, and he rarely spoke to anyone with respect. "Your opponent is of your stature, both body and mind. Minoru Mineta. He has balls on his head, stick to things, he bounce off of them."

"Got it," Kozeni snarled, returning to staring out the window.

Koseki Higai raised a hand, making it longer with his Dark Jewel substance, which he could generate at will, and could produce more of when he was in physical pain. "Hey, Mr. Shugisha? I think I already know-"

"Katsuki Bakugou. Very strong fighter. Make explosions from palms."

"Yep..." Higai slumped down, staring at the top of the desk. "I'm screwed..."

"Oh ho ho!" Kozaru Genkaku smiled, rubbing his hands together. "I'm up next! Who's coming to the fun house?!"

"Stop talk like that." Mr. Shugisha shuddered. "Your foe is Toru Hagakure. She cannot be seen."

"A light warper like me? Sounds like a fun time!" Genkaku giggled and began to murmur under his breath. His horrifying Quirk allowed him to create plates of 'glass' in the air, which, in turn, created intense illusions that affected all of the senses. However, Genkaku himself was completely insane, and he couldn't even balance unless he was standing on a ball, which naturally led to his clownlike hero costume and style.

"You psycho," muttered Doctor Merciless, also known as Chusaki Torimas. He could copy a person's muscle structure and aspects of their Quirk by injecting himself with their DNA, and his dual scorpion stingers were easily capable of doing just that. He used external syringes as well, since they were easier to maneuver and just as effective. "Hey, Mr. Shugisha? Could you consider sending Genkaku to foster care?"

"Calm you self. Your opponent is Momo Yaoyorozu. She can create objects with body fat."

"Huh? That's an... odd Quirk."

"She got into the school on recommendation. Not a girl to trifle with."

"O-okay." Torimas closed his eyes and sighed deeply. _Crap. She must be good. I gotta bring my A game. Can't use my tails... gonna have to get creative._

"Next, Sakiva Chada. You battle Mashirao Ojiro. He... he has a tail. Basically it."

"Alright! A close combat fighter!" Chada pounded one fist into his palm. "Our battle shall be legendary!"

"Firani, you vill fight Kyoka Jiro. She has earphone jacks in her earlobes, can create sound from them. Usually uses her own heartbeats."

"Yeah, whatev's." Firani slung her legs over the desk. "She's no match."

"Ari Anso?"

"AWWRK!" Anso's beak snapped shut. The owl boy had been thinking about ways to improve his maneuver speed and was startled by his teacher's voice. "Yes, SIR!"

"You battle Tenya Iida. He has jets in his cows."

There was an extremely uncomfortable silence. Anso tilted his head. "Um... you mean calves, right?" he asked, his voice squawking slightly.

"That I said," Shugisha replied. "Now, Yua Yamaguchi... Your opponent is Izuku Midoriya."

"Ooh! I get to fight Captain Crash himself!" exclaimed Yua, banging her pencil on the table excitedly. She had an extremely artsy Quirk that allowed her to bring any drawing, painting, or sculpture of hers to life, with the caveat that _every... single... one_ was weak to water and dissolved on contact.

"Azmoria Jotan?"

"I gotcha." Under his floor-length, incredibly prehensile green hair, Jotan sported a lean, wiry figure, but he was insanely in-the-know. "Tsuyu Asui. Frog Quirk. Tongue can stretch twenty meters and can lift a person; Asui herself can jump about seventy meters. No known weaknesses." He grinned. "This should be fun."

Shugisha gaped. "How did you..."

"Don't ask, sir," Jotan replied, returning to what could only be described as sleep.

"Alright. Hae Arashi?"

"Hmm? Did you call me?" asked the ditzy Arashi, a second-generation Thundercloud user who could essentially summon a sentient, _rideable_ thundercloud and a single bolt of bladed lightning. She turned her head slightly, her silver tornado hairdo not moving an inch. "Oh, right. Who's my opponent today?"

"Denki Kaminari. He can make electricity. Not much to him."

"I can deal with that." Arashi smiled and returned to staring out the window.

"Good. Kinzoku Hataraki?"

"Yes?" Hataraki peeked out from under her 'librarian glasses and anime villain bangs' as her friends called them. Her Quirk put springs in her ankles and wrists that could charge up insane amounts of kinetic energy and release it in single strikes.

"You're going against Ochako Uraraka. She can release object from gravity."

"So, a physical fighter..." Hataraki nodded. "I'll be at a direct advantage due to my springs."

"Finally, Lacy. Your opponent is Koji Koda. He can control animals with his voice."

"Really? That's it?" asked Lacy, her eyes narrowing. She'd been hoping to draw Bakugou; it'd been years since she'd had a decent challenge. "Why's that fair?"

"Because to make up for lack of utility in Quirk, he's grown his strength to high levels. Do not underestimate." Shugisha's glare was stern but knowing, and Lacy looked away, defeated. The teacher turned to the class. "You have your assignments. We vill be meeting in the gymnasium. Do not disappoint." With that, Shugisha turned and walked out the door. Anso was the first to follow, then Hataraki and Genkaku. The class walked out the door, down a few halls, and towards their first real experience in battle. And for several, it would be an inspiration.

* * *

 **SO MANY OCs! I'm thrilled to be back to life here and to show it, I've got an entire class for you! Expect great things from them... both good and bad. And a few heartstrings, heartbreaks, and heartshots to boot. Leave a review if you want to know more or if you have any comments, complaints, or disagreements, or just want me to add anything. Oh, and happy reading!**

 **Note: After next chapter, which will be pretty small, I will be putting up chapters with two fights apiece. We'll start with Sero VS Ago and Sato VS Chikara! See you next chapter!**


	14. Chapter 14

After changing into their gym uniforms, classes A and C met up at the martial arts room. The teachers gave each other sidelong glances, but nothing else. The students sat on bleachers, some branching out and looking to meet new people, others trying to stick with their friends. Mr. Aizawa took his place at the front of the group and spoke.

"The Sports Festival is tomorrow," he began, "and if you ask me, there are very few of you who are ready. If any." This drew an offended gasp from some of the students, so he continued. "That being said, the only way to get better is and has always been to practice. And I don't want you relying on your Quirks to get you through life. So, you'll be fighting without them today."

Kozeni raised his blaster arm. "I think you know what my question is, Teach," he drawled, indicating his metal appendage.

"Yes. For those of you with Mutant Quirks that don't turn off, just do your best to keep them out of the way. I know it's unconventional, but act like you've been told to suppress your Quirks. If you're doing this right, your Quirk should be seen as a hindrance. Same goes for all of you. You have your assignments; those not fighting should use this opportunity to meet with members of either class that you haven't met or been matched up with, and learn about each other. Hanta Sero and Pikkeru Ago, you're up first, followed by Rikido Sato and Nibaino Chikara."

Sero stood and used his tape to swing onto the enormous _tatami_ that served as the battle area. Ago walked over less ceremoniously, snapping his jaw once he was facing his foe.

Midoriya was examining both fighters when his opponent, Yua Yamaguchi, sat next to him. He didn't even notice her approach, and so began mumbling under his breath: "Ago's built smaller, so maybe he has an advantage in terms of center of gravity, but if Sero can get a good hit off, his higher strength could make a difference in the outcome..."

"You're looking at this wrong," Yua commented, making the green-haired boy jump nearly out of his skin. Yua, thankfully, didn't appear to notice. "It doesn't matter who's stronger. Look at Sero. See what he did to get onto the mat?"

"You mean, the tape swing?" asked Midoriya. "I did; what does that mean?"

"It means that Sero's used to being mobile. Ago isn't. I know for a fact that he camps more than anyone else. Really, it's a contest of use of the area more so than of strength. And Sero takes that home for sure."

"Huh. Never considered that." _I really have to get to know my classmates,_ Midoriya thought. "I... I guess you're my opponent, huh? Yamaguchi?"

"Please, call me Yua." The girl glanced at Midoriya through her green eye, the blue one hidden under her shock of raven black hair. "I know you; you're Midoriya! Although most of the class has been calling you Captain Crash after..."

"The practical exams? Man, I can't get away from those. Was I really beat up that bad?" asked Midoriya.

"Three of your limbs were broken, and basically every inch of you was covered in wind burns. So yeah."

"Geez." The expression on Midoriya's face was of pure shock. He hadn't woken up until after Recovery Girl had healed him that day, so he hadn't known the extent of his injuries, but he didn't think it was _that_ bad.

"Hey, it's okay. Lots of us got hurt." Yua shook her head. "I nearly got decapitated. Some moron shot a laser at a robot and it cut right through my beret. The laser, not the robot. That thing was out of commission."

"Thanks. That's good to- wait, did you say a laser?"

"Uh, yeah. Guy that fired it was blond, skinny, had a big mirror on his waist..." The artist paled. "And... he's in your class, isn't he?"

"Aoyama? Yep." Midoriya chuckled, remembering his first encounter with the Frenchman. Aoyama had saved him from a robot by destroying it with a single Navel Laser less than a minute into the practical test. "You know something? I think I was there when he roasted your hat."

"Really? Were you going after the same robot?"

"Something like that."

As the One For All user and the Artist talked, Kirima Kitanai's eyes wandered over the crowd, searching for the one she'd be fighting. _No, not him, too tall. Him? Nah, he's got an explosion look about him._ Finally, her eyes came to rest on Kirishima. She raised an eyebrow in pleased surprise at the boy's impressive physique. _That must be him._ She could clearly see that he was tense, and his skin was pulled into a rock-like form.

Kitanai's suspicions were confirmed when Kaminari walked up behind Kirishima and asked, "Hey, Kirishima? How do you get a shirt that's inside-out right-side-in without taking it off?"

"Is your shirt actually inside out?" asked the redhead.

"No, I just want to know."

"Don't you have something better to be doing?"

"I was being sarcastic! Yes, my shirt's inside out!"

"You're wearing a tracksuit!"

"It's not my fault the colors are the same on the inside and the outside!"

"Ugh... go to the bathroom and change it. I'm not messing with that."

"I guess I'll live..." With that, Kaminari walked back to his seat on the bleachers and began to talk to Arashi, who seemed just as interested in what he had to say as he did. Which is to say, not that much.

Through all of that, Kitanai's eyes had never left Kirishima. _What a man,_ she thought. _There's no shortage of hotties in Class A, that's for sure._ She caught the redhead's eye and winked, letting him assume that it meant she knew she was his opponent. _I've set the trap. Rock-hard god inbound in 3... 2... 1..._

And like a mouse on a piece of cheese (cheese actually kills mice, in case you didn't know; it heats up their bloodstreams past a survivable level), Kirishima fell for it. He walked up the bleachers and sat next to the DashClaw hero. "You're Kitanai, right?" he asked.

"Guilty as charged," Kitanai purred, extending a blade. "And you must be Eijiro Kirishima."

"Yep... I'm assuming you got a briefing in class, but what do you actually know about me?" asked Kirishima, gingerly shaking her blade-hand with a hardened hand of his own. "All I know about you is that you can turn your bones into blades."

 _I know enough to know you're hot,_ thought Kitanai. Instead of letting that slip, though, she shrugged and indicated her ax mohawk. "It's not just my bones. Basically any hard cell in my body can turn into a blade. Nails, hair, bones... That's why I wear my hair like this."

"Hey, that sounds really similar to a hero I've been hearing about lately... Goes by the name Great Platinum. Except instead of blades, he's got spikes. Like, the kind you put in a railroad... but sharper."

"Takada Tsukara?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"He's actually my mom's brother. And yeah, his Quirk is really similar to mine. Hereditary, I guess." Kitanai grinned and sat back against the bleacher behind her. "So... What I know about you is... your skin becomes hard as rock when you use your Quirk."

"That's it?"

"That's it. Mr. Shugisha only gave us your Quirks. Left the rest up to interpretation."

"Huh. Mr. Aizawa did the same for us." Kirishima glanced over at his teacher, who was writing down notes on Ago's stance, while Shugisha did the same for Sero. "Hey- I think the battle's about to start. I'm gonna go root for my boy Sero." The hardener stood up, smiled courteously, and walked down to the front row of the bleachers.

 _You do that, beefcake,_ thought Kitanai. _You do that._ She leaned back and whistled softly, her eyes never leaving Kirishima.


	15. Sero Vs Ago and Sato Vs Chikara

"Sero, Ago, are you ready?" asked Mr. Aizawa to the students about to duel on the _tatami_.

"As I'll-" _clackclackclack_ "-ever be!" exclaimed Ago, suddenly looking quite mortified with himself because of the noise his jaw made.

Sero nodded and took a battle stance. "Let's do this!" he concurred.

Aizawa lifted a timer. "Rules are simple. First person to get the other off the mat or incapacitate the other wins. Go."

Ago stepped back and narrowed his eyes. _Alright, think. He's tall, so he's gonna have a high center of gravity. Maybe I should go for a stomach shot? But wait-_ A force suddenly struck Ago's face, and he recoiled, stepping to the side just in time to dodge another swing.

Sero had drawn the first 'blood'; now the battle began in earnest. Ago pivoted on his left foot and brought his right heel around, aiming to catch Sero's arm with a roundhouse that the blonde _thought_ would be powerful. But Sero used the opportunity while Ago's right leg was off the ground, grabbing it and sweeping him down.

Ago used both hands to stop himself before his face hit the floor, then pushed off and drove his leg free of Sero's grasp. In doing so, however, he lost his only means of staying up, and fell to the ground again, this time hitting his head on the floor. The pain, plus his jaw's natural agony, jolted him back to his feet. He staggered forward and tried to land a good punch on Sero's face, but the Tape hero caught the fist, then swung the tiny Ago around so that the smaller boy was facing away from him. Sero finished with a classic wrestling move, planting his leg into the ground in front of Ago, wrapping one arm around the boy's neck and the other around his stomach, and throwing the both of them to the ground. The impact knocked the wind out of Ago, and after a few seconds of stillness, Aizawa raised his timer to call the match.

Sero got up, pumping his fist victoriously. "Alright!" he exclaimed. But suddenly, worry clouded his face, and he turned back to Ago. "Hey- are you okay?"

Ago rolled over and got to his feet, wobbling a bit. "Nngh... y-yeah... I'm alright." He shook his head, pressing a hand to his jaw, then glanced up at Sero. "Where... did you learn how to do that?"

"I wrestled on my school's team in junior high. That was one of the first moves they taught us," Sero replied as the two walked over to the bleachers to make room for Sato and Chikara.

As the burly boys strode over to the mat and glared at each other menacingly, Sero clambered into the stands and noticed Kaisuru sitting by herself. _She looks lonely,_ he thought. _And it looks like she's... hyperventilating?! Should I...?_ Before he could stop himself, he got up and walked over to the girl, taking a seat next to her. "Hey... are you okay?" he asked.

Kaisuru jolted in her seat, turning her head to face him. She'd clearly been in deep thought. "Um... yeah, I'm alright," she murmured, but it wasn't convincing at all. "Good... good job out there."

"Thanks. Hey, I'm Sero." He extended a hand, which Kaisuru shook carefully.

"Kaisuru. Nice to meet you." The brunette gave him a grin- not without pain- then turned back to the front, closing her eyes. She began to breathe heavily again, and her face contorted a bit, letting Sero know exactly how _alright_ she was.

Amused and worried at the same time, Sero tilted his head. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked. "You're... kind of hyperventilating."

Kaisuru's cheeks flared red; she knew her Quirk had ratted her out. "I'm just... scared," she murmured. "Everyone in my class got really pumped up about their matchups; they think that since they have opponents with really powerful Quirks, and because this is a no-powers tournament, then they're going to win. Am I the only person who doesn't see it like that? Like, 'I'm up against someone who uses their Quirk more, so I'm better than them because I don't'?"

"I'm... not sure I follow what you're saying."

"I don't think I'm a good enough physical fighter to beat Tokoyami. Heck, with the state I'm in now, I'd probably lose to him even if he never _got_ a Quirk." She glanced at the bird boy, who was sitting against a wall, in his own world of darkness. "Even if he wasn't at U.A."

At this, Sero felt a bit confused. "The... state you're in? What do you mean?"

Kaisuru debated indicating her body to show him what she really meant- _I'm as wide as a jumbo jet and nowhere near as fast-_ but decided against it. "Never mind. So... How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"You had to have known you were going to beat Ago right off the bat. How do you get so confident in yourself?"

"Confidence is the problem, huh?" Sero was conflicted now. He hadn't expected her to confide in him right off the bat, but he had to do _something_. Quietly, he pondered her question. "I... guess it's just a matter of your personality. I'm kind of a showoff, so I was planning on using some of my wrestling moves from the start. You seem quieter, you know, more reserved, like you just wanna beat him and get out of there. But personality isn't the biggest game-changer, not in battle. What you're _like_ isn't in the picture; it's all about what you _do_." He patted her shoulder comfortingly, and she turned and glanced at him. "My point is," he continued, "you have the same chance at winning your battle as Tokoyami does. So there's no use beating yourself up. If you have to fight, you may as well fight the best you can."

During this speech, Kaisuru's eyes had grown wide. "I... I guess you're right," she murmured shyly, turning back to the front, her face going a deeper red than before. "But I mean, if I'm not confident, I'm not gonna fight like- you know what, never mind. Thanks. I needed that."

"No problem," replied Sero, looking up at the battlefield, where the two titans got ready to brawl.

Aizawa lifted his timer again, looking as intense as ever. "Sato, Chikara, are you both ready?"

Sato pumped a fist and shouted "You better believe it!" while Chikara simply grunted and widened his stance a bit.

Suddenly, the doors on either side of the bleachers flew open. Mina Ashido sprinted through one, while Zan Shiori entered by the other. The girls stopped in front of their teachers.

"Mr. Shugisha, I'm really sorry!" exclaimed Shiori. She looked immensely different without her goo helmet and dress, Midoriya and Iida inferred. "I went to the bathroom before homeroom, and I was feeling really nervous about the Festival, and my goo Quirk just kinda... went off! It took me an hour to clean it all up, and when I got back to the classroom you were all already gone!"

Shugisha nodded. "You are fine. Your opponent got here late as well, anyway. Nothing to worrying about."

Aizawa, not buying that this was the case, stared Ashido down intensely. "What's your excuse, Ashido?"

"I had to ask Mr. Cementoss about a history assignment," the pink girl replied. "I stopped off at homeroom before I did, but I didn't catch where you guys were going. So I had to ask around..." Noticing Aizawa's face getting more and more suspicious, she raised her hands defensively. "I'm serious! You can ask Mr. Cementoss if you want!"

"Ooh, did Ashido forget to do her homework?" taunted Kaminari, eliciting a few laughs from the kids on the bleachers.

Not Jaxon, though. He brought his head up, stared directly at Kaminari, and snapped, "Hey, Thunder Dolt, shut up; you did your history assignment on the way here. Oh, and Beijing is in China, not Japan!"

That shut Kaminari up, and Jaxon felt a few pairs of eyes on him as he lay his head back on the seat behind him. _Let them stare,_ he thought. _No one messes with a friend of mine._

 _You tell him, Romeo,_ Leo joked.

 _What's that supposed to mean?_

 _Nothing. Leo, shut up,_ Chill cut in, the Ice form unusually talkative today.

Aizawa examined the transfer with amusement. _It's only rational that Jaxon understands how to stick up for people, but that quick mouth is going to get him in serious trouble some day._ He shook his head and sent the girls to the bleachers, then turned back to the _tatami_. "Are you still ready?" he asked, receiving a bored 'yeah' from both combatants in reply. The timer lifted, then fell.

The boys charged across the mat, slamming into each other with such force that one wouldn't know they weren't using their Quirks. They grappled for a few seconds, like deer with their horns locked, then pulled back and circled each other. Sato threw a punch lightly; Chikara took the bait and raised his right arm to block. Sato brought his fist under the outstretched arm and unleashed a punch that would have sent a lesser man's brains out of his head.

Chikara. Didn't. Even. FLINCH.

The room was silent for a second; then, both boys let out inhuman roars and began to throw punch after punch. Fist struck fist time and time again; neither one was giving an inch or looked to be getting tired. Eventually, Sato's mind hit autopilot, and he watched the situation almost from outside himself. _If I keep brawling like this, I'm gonna exhaust myself,_ he thought. _What if I..._

Chikara pulled his fist back and grinned, sending it careening toward Sato's chest. The sugar boy waited till just the right moment, then dodged the punch, grabbed Chikara's arm and torso, and slammed him down on top of his knee. Even Chikara's mohawks seemed to die a little to that attack, and he got up and staggered backward, floored moments later by a throat chop from Sato.

Aizawa nodded, noting the time of the fight. "Nice work," he told Sato, who turned and helped Chikara up. The boys glared at each other and grunted in mutual respect, then returned to their seats. Aizawa glanced at his paper again and looked up at the group. "Bakugou and Higai," he called, "you two are next, followed by Kaisuru and Tokoyami."

Bakugou pounded a fist into his palm. "I'm gonna break this loser," he snarled.

Higai groaned and stood up, his good eye flickering back and forth. "I'm so going to die..." he whispered, his other eye (replaced not too long ago by a gem with similar properties to a mood ring, except it actually works) turning yellow to indicate his fear.

Tokoyami glanced up and said nothing. He only smirked, then returned to his thoughts.

Kaisuru swallowed. "I- I can't do this... I mean, I can, but I don't know if I will... I- um, I'll do my best..."

"Hey, easy!" exclaimed Sero, patting Kaisuru's shoulder again. "You're going to do fine. Just remember what I told you. Don't think about what could go wrong. Fight as well as you can, and you won't have to worry."

"Thanks... I've still got a whole fight's time to worry, though..."


	16. Bakugou Vs Higai and Tokoyami Vs Kaisuru

Bakugou and Higai stepped toward the mat. Bakugou's steely, angry expression was an interesting contrast to Higai's timid worry.

"Looks like I'm fighting a blind kid," Bakugou mocked, indicating Higai's gem eye. The gem quickly turned red with anger, but reversed to its fear-stricken yellow just as quickly. Bakugou took notice of this and continued. "I almost feel bad for trashing you! Actually, scratch that, I don't. Let's get this overwith!"

Higai stepped back, closing his eye. _He's right,_ he thought, kicking at the mat angrily. _I'm just too... average._ Looking back up at Bakugou, the boy put up his dukes and stanced himself up. "Yeah, just, try not to kill me, okay? Murder in the first will look terrible on your internship applications."

"I know how to make it look like an accident!" yelled Bakugou, sprinting forward as the timer went off. Higai yelped and juked back, but it was a little too slow, and Bakugou's right hook...

...completely missed?

Higai wasted no time. He quickly grabbed Bakugou's arm, prepared to drag them both to the mat. Better to tie than lose.

"Ha! You really suck, huh?" asked Bakugou, lifting Higai off the ground with one arm. "Light as a freaking feather!" Aizawa raised an eyebrow, and even Shugisha looked impressed. Bakugou turned around and tossed Higai through the air, the younger boy yelling in pain as he hit the ground hard. He got up just in time to see Bakugou come at him with another right hook ...and miss again. _What is going ON?!_ thought Higai.

Bakugou cursed under his breath after the second punch. _I keep overestimating him!_ he thought. _Kid's moving too slowly; I can't predict him!_ He swung for a body blow, which connected like a freight train and dropped Higai to the mat.

Resisting the pull of his pain and the allure of capitulation, Higai rolled backwards and used a move he'd seen in the movies but never actually done before: he planted his hands on the ground behind him, pushed off, and launched himself in a flying kick into Bakugou's chest. Surprisingly, Bakugou reacted too early, and the kick actually connected, albeit doing next to nothing to hurt Higai's opponent. It did distract Bakugou and send him reeling, though, enough for the Black Jewel hero to get his bearings and perform another as-seen-on-TV move: the Spear. He sprinted forward and hurled his shoulder into Bakugou's abdomen. Bakugou was forced back by the blow and had the wind somewhat knocked out of him, but he was still prepared; he grabbed Higai's shoulder with one hand and set off explosions with the other, using them to propel a throw that sent Higai far out of bounds.

Aizawa hit his timer. "Sorry, Bakugou," he called, "but you violated the rules of the battle. Higai is the winner." The younger hero boy was curled up in the fetal position and gave a thumbs-up to show his happiness. Relative happiness, given that he now felt like his body had been turned inside out and then shattered.

Bakugou about lost it. "Hey, what's that? You saying I lost?!" he yelled.

"Yeah, I am."

"Bullcrap! How do you figure that?! I beat the crap out of him!"

"First of all, you used your Quirk. That alone would be cause for your disqualification; the specific rules of the battle required you to _not_ use your Quirk. At all."

"Who cares?! The point is, I'm better than him!" The Explosion hero threw up his hands and glared at his teacher.

Aizawa raised an eyebrow. "If that wasn't enough reason to disqualify you, look at where Higai's last attack placed you in relation to the battlefield."

Bakugou looked down at his feet, and his mind was blown: Higai's Spear attack had sent him off of the _tatami_ , and thus, out of bounds! "Whatever!" exclaimed the flustered Bakugou. "This tournament's stupid anyways! When are we ever gonna have to fight without our Quirks in real life?"

Shugisha and Aizawa glanced at each other, having each explained this concept several times. The teachers shook their heads as Bakugou stormed to the bleachers and Higai recovered from the traumatizing near loss. Aizawa sighed and called out, "Kaisuru, Tokoyami, you're up."

Tokoyami immediately obeyed, but Kaisuru started to breathe quickly and heavily. "I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't do this..." she whispered, shaking her head and burying her face in her hands.

"Hey!" Sero had had just about enough of his new friend's indecisiveness. He put a hand on her shoulder and stared sharply into her eyes. "Come on, pull yourself together! You're in the hero course; you couldn't get this far without _some_ skill! All of us believe in you, so you should believe in you too!"

Kaisuru gasped slightly, and her eyes went wide. "O-okay..." she murmured, getting up and walking down the bleachers. She turned and gave Sero one last look, and he responded with a thumbs up. _He believes in me, even though he just met me? Maybe... maybe I can do this._ She took her place across from Tokoyami, putting her hands together and breathing deeply to stop her hyperventilation from earlier.

"Come on, Tokoyami!" shouted an annoying voice from the bleachers. Mineta. The midget was practically screaming at Tokoyami, and everyone else seemed to be getting irritated with it. "Rip the suit right off of that curvy-"

"Alright, that's it, lights out, good night, see you in a week..." murmured Chusaki Torimas, jamming one of his stingers into Mineta's back and injecting him with a sleeping agent. The little pervert immediately keeled over in his seat, beginning to snore lightly. Torimas nodded at his classmate before sitting down. Notably, he kept the sleep medicine pouring into Mineta, just in case.

Aizawa shook his head. "Some people never learn. Are you both ready?"

"As ready as the void inside my mind shall ever be," replied Tokoyami. Kaisuru nodded, but her eyes were focused on her opponent. At this level of focus, she could see a large shadow on the abdomen of Tokoyami's tracksuit. This should not have been the case; there was a window facing Tokoyami, where sunlight was pouring in and covering him.

 _Wait... isn't his Quirk a shadow?_ The situation began to piece itself together in Kaisuru's mind, scrambled though it currently was. _If that's where Dark Shadow comes from... then if I'm going to get a hit, that's my best shot._

"Ready... go." Aizawa pressed the timer. Tokoyami stepped forward, his hands raised defensively, but he had them in a very awkward position, as though he wasn't used to having to fight physically. Kaisuru, meanwhile, had decided on a course of action, and she bounced forward, taking leaping strides in a zigzag pattern. She wasn't moving very quickly, but she was still erratic enough to take Tokoyami by surprise. He raised his hands higher and swung at her face, but hit only air as she returned the swing directly into his stomach.

Tokoyami staggered back in pain, and Dark Shadow growled, _Let me at her, boss!_

 _No!_ exclaimed Tokoyami, dodging another powerful swing from his adversary. _The contest forbids it! Would you drop us both irreparably into such a dark habit?_

Meanwhile, Kaisuru punched at Tokoyami repeatedly, each time getting closer and closer to his face, his stomach, his shoulder. The bird boy put up a good fight, landing a few hits on his foe, but she was simply too durable. Her fists struck air again and again until finally, accompanied by one of the most intense impacts any of the students had ever heard, she caught him right on the beak with a devastating haymaker. Tokoyami stumbled backward, murmured something under his breath, and slumped to the ground, defeated.

 _In... Out... In... Out..._ Kaisuru had to force herself to breathe. _I actually did it!_ she thought, turning and bowing politely to the teachers. She turned back to Tokoyami and reached out a hand. "Are... are you alright?" she asked.

"Yes..." Tokoyami took her hand and brought himself to his feet. He looked her right in the eyes and grinned. "You are spectacularly strong. The future for heroes is clouded by darkness eternally... but in warriors like yourself can be found some semblance of light."

"Um... thanks?" murmured the timid Kaisuru. She swallowed and basically ran back to her seat. Sero clapped her on the back as soon as she got there.

"Hey, you did awesome! I told you you had this!" he enthused. "Didn't look like you had anything to worry about!"

"Yeah... guess not..." the brunette murmured, turning and smiling at Sero. "Thanks. For the encouragement earlier, I mean. I really needed it today..."

"Today, like, as opposed to any other day? Why, what's wrong?"

Like she usually did when she made a new friend, Kaisuru debated telling Sero everything, about how almost everyone she allowed into her life body-shamed her to no end. She thought back to that morning, when she'd heard her name whispered in a conversation between Iatsu and Kitanai and knew instantly why. Or the first day of school, when Kozeni had outright blurted _I thought Seaworld was in Tokyo_ the moment he saw her walk in. Or her mother's constant guilt trips of _You really should think about joining a track team or something of the like, darling_ or _Are you alright if I save the rest of this for lunch tomorrow?_ But spilling like that would be nonsense; after all, they'd only just met, and Sero no doubt had his own problems to deal with, so why would he waste time on her? In the end, she just sighed and responded with, "Just... the battle and everything, you know? I'm really indecisive and I didn't know anything about Tokoyami, so I was kind of just back and forth about it..."

Sero tilted his head. He believed her, but the look on her face told him there was something more to this story. "Well, anytime you need to, like, vent about that or get some honest thought or whatever, you know who to talk to, alright?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Already regretting her decision not to vent right then and there, Kaisuru went back to examining the next contestants: Yaoyorozu and Torimas, followed by Asui and Jotan.

Sero looked at her, confused, for another few seconds before turning to the mats himself. _I wish I knew how to help her... but she won't tell me what's up. I guess I should've expected that, seeing this is the first time we've met..._

Meanwhile, Shiori and Jiro were discussing the tourney pairings. "All the fights so far have been pretty lame," murmured Shiori.

"Yeah, I see it, kinda one-sided," added Jiro. "Do you think there are going to be any good ones?"

"Anso and Iida. Class rep versus class rep," Shiori replied without any hesitation. "That'll be a sight to see for sure."

"Anso's your class rep? Cool. Seems like a good choice." Jiro didn't know anything about Anso's hero status, but she did know him personally; they lived in the same province, often saw each other outside of school, and had actually been in opposite couples on a double date before (both of the girls had dumped both of the guys mid-date, but it still counted).

"Uh-huh. He's kind of a genius, and he really knows how to work up a crowd. You'll see what I mean when he gets on the battlefield. What's Iida got?" asked Shiori, genuinely curious.

"He..." Jiro thought back to the day before the USJ attack, when the press had 'broken in' to the gates of the school. Iida had used himself as a floating megaphone to alert the students that it was only reporters who'd intruded and that no harm would come to U.A. on their account. "He knows how to get people's attention. And he'll outwork anyone. Just ask basically anybody in our class but Yaoyorozu."

"Ha. I know why you made THAT exception." Shiori giggled and shook her head. "Man, some girls have all the luck."

"I don't know," murmured a sleepy voice from below, aimed at Shiori. "Seems to me like you got more than enough lu-"

Torimas jabbed his stinger into Mineta's back again. "I thought I put you to sleep, ankle nipper," the doctor boy snarled as Mineta made a repeat performance and sank down into his seat. Torimas turned around to face the girls, his bright red eyes making his smile look complete as they peeked out from under his wild black hair. "And do you know what I say, loves? Don't worry about how smart your classmate is. Compare yourselves to others, and you _will_ come up disappointed every time. Just focus on being the best _you_ can be, because that's all you _can_ be." He stood up, bowed genially, injected the stirring Mineta again, and walked down the bleachers to the battlefield, tossing a ' _ciao_ ' over his shoulder.

Jiro raised an eyebrow. "I like that guy," she murmured.

"Everybody does," replied Shiori. "He and Anso are the only normal people in the grade. Everyone else either doesn't care, has completely lost their minds, or is so shy they make Marucho Marakura look eloquent."

"Really? What camp do you fall into?" joked Jiro.

"The crazy ones," Shiori replied, forming a Goomy in her hand and feinting to throw it at Jiro, who yelped and scrambled backward. Shiori giggled and sheathed her goo creature. "See?"

"I have a feeling we're gonna get tired of your class," muttered Jiro, but she smiled and returned to her seat warily.

* * *

 **Next chapter's gonna have all the rest of the battles in it, shortened majorly because the story's moving real slowly right now. That's basically it! See you then!**


	17. This Could Be Problematic

The rest of the battles flew by. Here's how they played out:

Yaoyorozu was simply more skilled than Torimas, and brought him to his knees with a well-placed choke hold.

Since Jotan couldn't use his hair to fight, he was incapacitated by Asui almost immediately, later citing the aforementioned weakness as the only reason he lost.

Iida and Anso had dueled fiercely for fifteen minutes when Anso finally gained the upper hand and punched Iida off the mat.

Kozeni clocked Mineta over the head with his gun arm, knocking the other midget out, but Aizawa deemed that too close to using Kozeni's Quirk, so Mineta was declared the winner.

Chada slipped a right cross past Ojiro's defenses to drop him to the mat.

The fight between Ashido and Shiori was declared a draw after both girls exhausted themselves and fell to the ground at the same time.

Genkaku was immediately disqualified by falling to the mat after being told to step off the ball he used to balance. Hagakure was declared the winner. How anyone, much less everyone, missed the fact that Genkaku was balancing on the ball is anyone's guess, but no one noticed it until Aizawa asked him to step off of it.

Kaminari was able to take advantage of Arashi's lack of focus to slip behind her and send her out of bounds with a single kick (after which Mineta, who'd just woken up from his trashing by Kozeni, scolded the Electrification user for not having 'done more').

Kitanai ended her battle by using a shoulder charge to knock the wind out of Kirishima, then punching him in the face.

Iatsu walked out of bounds herself, having gotten so annoyed by Aoyama's self-flaunting that she "couldn't stand to battle him anymore". Her words.

Midoriya had taken a lot of notes on the "outboxer" battle style that Yua had adopted, and he defeated her with a barrage of quick punches and kicks.

Shoji and Shinso were a near even match offense-wise, with Shoji being much stronger and Shinso having a speed advantage, but Shinso couldn't handle too many of Shoji's monstrous punches and eventually caved.

Todoroki knocked Hari down a few pegs by beating him with a single kick to the stomach. Hari would later claim that Todoroki was cheating. Of course, no one believed him.

Unable to optimize their combat styles with their Quirks, Jiro and Firani were reduced to close-quarter combat. Firani finished off her opponent with a headbutt that caused half the class to wince in sympathy.

Hataraki's gymnastic skill was too much for Uraraka, and with a backflip-assisted kick, the battle went to the Springload hero.

Koda and Lacy were equally wary of each other- Koda because of Bakugou's story about Lacy threatening him, and Lacy because of her teacher's description of Koda's strength- but in the end, after a drawn-out fight with a lot of feinting, Koda used said strength to punch Lacy out of bounds.

Finally, there was only one battle left: Jaxon and Uta. Jaxon stood across from his deaf opponent, deliberating with his other selves.

 _C'mon, use Rush!_ exclaimed Leo.

 _Definitely not,_ replied Jaxon. _There's no way that doesn't count as using my Quirk. Besides, wouldn't everyone see that I'd transformed? Rush looks nothing like me._

 _I gotta agree with Jax on that score,_ added Peras. _Sorry, Leo, but Jaxon has to win this on his own._

 _Fine,_ Leo scowled. _But Jax, when you lose, I'm just saying, I told you so._

The battle began. Jaxon stepped forward, sizing up his foe. Uta's eyes were closed, and he was murmuring something under his breath. The words suddenly became clearer to Jaxon as Uta advanced, and he realized that the deaf boy was... rapping?

 _"I'm stacked and you better get back_

 _'cause buddy you're no match when I go to attack_

 _And when I hit you it's a wrap, gonna kill off the track,_

 _I snap and leave you gasping, you're lacking a comeback, don't come back..."_

With each rhyming word, Uta struck out, and all of his attacks had both strength and genuine skill behind them. Jaxon parried the shots well, even giving himself enough purchase to retaliate with a punch or two of his own, but it was clear that he was on the defensive in this match, and Uta continued, moving and speaking faster.

 _"I raise the bar, then I drop it_

 _Gonna go fast, boy, you could never stop it_

 _Pop the fight, yeah you know I'm gonna lock it_

 _I'm the best, like to see you try to top it_

 _No more games 'cause it just got real_

 _You can't hurt me, I'm made of steel_

 _Pain is something that I can't feel_

 _So watch, learn, accept your fate... and kneel."_

And with a final flying kick, Uta smashed into Jaxon's chest, backflipped off of him, and landed in a kneeling position, one hand on the ground, the other behind him as though he'd just punched through Jaxon instead of kicking him. Jaxon stumbled back, clutching the area of impact, and went down. The fight was over. Uta had won in spectacular fashion.

The brunette sat up and groaned. He could practically see Leo shaking his head and clapping slowly. _I. Told. You. So._

 _This wasn't about winning for me,_ Jaxon argued.

 _Yeah, says the man who lost,_ Leo finished.

Members of Classes A and C gathered around Uta, letting out various cries of "That was fire!" and "Where did you learn to freestyle like that?!" Jaxon got up and made to join the congratulatory group, but was intercepted by Ashido and Sero. The former glanced down at Jaxon's chest and winced.

"Are you okay? You look like you need to get that checked out," she murmured.

Jaxon glanced down at his tracksuit and saw that there was now a large tear in the fabric, out of which a fresh bruise shone. "Nah," he replied. "It'll heal by tomorrow."

"No," Sero answered urgently. "I'm no expert, but that looks pretty bad..."

"What are you talking- OW!" Jaxon clapped a hand to his side as a thunderbolt of pain ripped through him. He glanced fearfully in Uta's direction, but the deaf hero wasn't facing him. "Geez! What is that guy _taking_?! Alright, I'm sold. I'll go see Recovery Girl." Grimacing, he turned and walked toward the exit to the gym.

He never made it there.

"Jaxon?" called Ashido, as her friend began to totter to the side. "You alright?"

The pain had spread from Jaxon's chest to his head, and he noticed that all of his other forms were silent. A red ring covered his vision, but he momentarily shook it off as he turned around and replied, "I'm good... just a little... tired..." With that, he smiled dazedly and fell facedown on the ground.


	18. Nightmare Weaver

Jaxon had seen a lot of unexpected things in his dreams. Flying cars, people with horns and devil's wings, talking swords, all three in one, the like. A natural side effect of his Quirk and his MPD.

But the last thing he ever thought he'd see in his dreams?

His father.

 _Colton "Multi" Sachizado stood across from Jaxon in a room separated into two halves by a glass pane. The man looked no different from the last time Jaxon had seen him, nearly four years ago, except for a strange, quiet bloodthirst in his pitch-black eyes. He lifted a finger and opened his mouth to speak. Jaxon expected the sound to be muffled by the glass, but he could hear just fine._

 _"You and I are one and the same," Colton boomed._

 _Jaxon shook his head. "I'm nothing like you, you deadbeat," he snarled. "I stayed when things got tough. You left us because... because what? Your Quirk made you a little messed up in the head? Mom wouldn't have cared. She loved you all the same. Loved. Past tense."_

 _"A little messed up? An understatement, from the mouth of my son." Colton chuckled, ignoring the end of the declaration, then turned dark. "Rage, passion, elation, sorrow, terror, and calm... one cannot feel all these things at once. It is not natural."_

 _"Quit dodging the issue. What's not natural is how you skipped out right before we moved," Jaxon replied angrily. "You didn't think your brain could handle staying with us, figuring out one son's mental problems and the other's supervirus, and keeping up with your winner-fights-all hero reputation at the same time. So you escaped from your problems. Left us behind so you could focus on your hero work, and then you abandoned that too! Now you have the best of neither world, and if you're being honest, you have no one but yourself to blame."_

 _"I HAVE MY QUIRK TO BLAME! MY POWER DROVE ME MAD!" roared Colton, a red wave pouring out of him and solidifying into the blood-red shape of a person, who Jaxon recognized as Rage, the incarnation of his father's anger brought about by his Quirk. Rage shot a blaze of red lightning at the pane before disappearing, and Colton continued, having taken out his frustration on the impenetrable glass separating him from his son. "And that is where we are alike. As I have been driven past the brink of sanity, so too will you. Your personalities, they affect you worse than my Singularity Disorder affected me... and twelve times as often. You will become like me, even more than you already have. Make no mistake, I have not left your life for good. I will make you complete. I will add things to you. Draw out the best and the worst in you. Mold you into a hero worthy of being called my son."_

 _He reached out and touched the glass, and it shattered, the room disappearing. "You wake soon. Do not forget this meeting, for Calm has nearly drained herself to bring it about. We will meet again, Jaxon."_

* * *

Ashido, who was helping Sero carry Jaxon to the nurse's office, suddenly glanced down at the brunet worriedly. "He's talking," she whispered.

Sero listened closely, and sure enough, he could hear Jaxon's voice softly murmuring _No... I'm not... like you..._ "That's creepy," he added. "Think he might be dreaming?"

"If he is, then he fell hard. We better get him there fast," Ashido concluded.

Almost on cue, the three arrived outside Recovery Girl's office, and Ashido and Sero quickly carried their friend in and explained the situation to the aged hero. Recovery Girl glanced at Jaxon, who lay on one of the office beds, and shook her head."I can heal his ribs now," she explained, "but I think he may have suffered a concussion when he hit the ground. That will take more time-"

"I'll wait with him," Ashido blurted, surprising even herself. Catching a questioning glance from Sero, she quickly backpedaled and tried to justify what she had said. "I have a history assignment to catch up on anyways. I'll be able to work on it while I'm here. Besides, if he wakes up and tries to leave before you can heal his head, he's gonna need someone to keep him here."

"Alright, alright, I get your point," exclaimed Recovery Girl, smiling at Ashido knowingly.

Sero coughed awkwardly and glanced between the pro and the student. "Um... I'll stay too. Class is pretty much called off for the day because of all the training we've been doing. I could go get you guys some lunch, if you wanted."

"Well, aren't you two a pair of true-blue friends!" the aged hero gushed, prompting a less forced grin from Sero.

Ashido pulled a few bills out of her pocket and handed them to Sero. "I'll take a Lunch Rush Plate, and I guess..." Tilting her head, she tried to think of something that would appeal to Jaxon. "Maybe just bring him a small order of takoyaki? Keep the change if you want it."

Sero took the money and silently noted that the amount he had in his hand now was more than he'd held in his entire life. _I never pegged Ashido for a rich kid,_ he thought, bidding farewell to Recovery Girl and heading to the cafeteria.

* * *

Midoriya and Iida sat down at their usual lunch table. Iida raised an eyebrow in surprise when he realized they were alone. "Where is Uraraka? She's usually here before us."

"Not sure. She said something about talking to one of the kids from Class C..." Midoriya replied. "Maybe she's still-"

"Sorry I'm late!" exclaimed a voice from behind the green-haired boy, making him jump nearly out of his skin. Uraraka came around the side of the table, and with her was a student from 1-C. Black hair with blue tips, a noticeable rocker motif, a timid glance to each of the others from wide, dark blue eyes- all Yorioki Uta classics. The music hero raised a hand in greeting as Uraraka continued. "I hope you guys don't mind, but I invited Uta to sit with us today."

"Not at all!" exclaimed Iida, moving over so Uta could sit down. "I'm certain this camaraderie is exactly what we need, especially with the Sports Festival so near."

Uta blinked. _I can read lips, but you use big words,_ he signed in Iida's direction.

As Midoriya and Iida looked blankly at Uta, Uraraka clapped her hands over her mouth. "Oh, man, I forgot to tell you! Uta's Quirk makes him deaf!"

"Ah, I'm sorry!" Iida said, then backpedaled, trying to remember the sign for _sorry_. But Uta's laugh brought him back to the present.

 _I told you I can read lips!_ Uta's hands were flying; it was clear he'd gotten the hang of sign language.

Uraraka grinned at her friends. "I'm gonna go buy some food. You three behave while I'm gone, okay?" she jibed. Iida saluted her respectfully, not having any grasp on teasing, while Midoriya could only stammer out a 'sure'.

Uta tilted his head and watched Uraraka leave, then turned to Midoriya, pointing in the brunette's direction and circling his own face with one hand. _She's pretty._

The only person Midoriya had ever heard put it so bluntly was himself... to himself. "Yeah... I'd b-be lying if I s-s-said she wasn't," he answered, then remembered Uta's condition and rephrased his sentence in signs.

Uta's eyes widened, and he put a finger to his chin, a la Asui. Finally he grinned widely. _You like her?_ he prodded.

The greenette's face started to burn. The only words in his head were _there's no right answer to this_ , and he tried his best to convey that in signs, but Uta merely tilted his head the other direction and shrugged. Finally, the green-haired boy went with _I don't know yet, but maybe._

 _Don't worry, I won't tell her,_ Uta reassured his new friend, despite not having gotten a definite answer either way.

Midoriya sure hoped that Uta would keep that promise. Because heroes didn't need crushes messing with their jobs.

* * *

Kirima Kitanai was pacing around the food court, acting like she was trying to figure out what to eat. In actuality, though, she was scoping out the significant other material. _Guy, girl, doesn't matter; if it's hot I'll date it_ was practically her motto, and at U.A., things were no different. She'd grown bored of Kirishima quickly, knowing that as a jock with no sense of romance, he wouldn't be fun to mess with.

But now, standing in the line for the most expensive of food available at the cafeteria, _here_ was a good prospect for romantic teasing- and a good-looking one at that. Long raven hair in a gorgeous style Kitanai had thought about before but ultimately decided she liked her hair too short for; a figure that looked like it'd been designed by Aphrodite herself; a beautiful face just chubby enough to hold some innocence to it; and a general air of refined yet youthful elegance... combine all of that with her insane intellect and surprisingly fascinating Quirk, and Momo Yaoyorozu pretty much had it all. So it wasn't all that strange that 1-C's flirtiest student found herself drawn to the genius beauty like a moth to a spotlight. Kitanai, true to her first name and her Quirk, cut in front of two people to join her newfound crush in line. "Your reputation precedes you, Miss Yaoyorozu," she purred, extending a hand. She noted her target's breathing patterns and began to mimic them, to invoke solidarity between herself and this new treasure.

Another successful victim of the Kitanai trap, Yaoyorozu blushed slightly and shook her fellow hero's hand. "Class C's Kitanai, I believe?" she asked.

"Charmed." Kitanai noted how soft the other girl's hand was. Probably a good thing to compliment her on later. For now, though, the conversation had to revolve around something more superficial, to break down any walls that Kitanai's looks, body language, and natural charm hadn't. "Good job in training today. Torimas is one of our best, and you beat him pretty easily." This wasn't entirely a lie- the doctor hero was indeed in the top half of the class- but what mattered wasn't the facts, but the presentation. Kitanai had mastered the art of manipulative wording, and Yaoyorozu fell for it hook, line, and very large sinkers.

"You really think I did well?" asked the Creation hero, tipping her finger to her chin. "I felt like it didn't go quite as smoothly as I intended..."

"Trust me." A well-placed shoulder pat and a smile. "You fought great. After all, you won, right?"

"You've got a point," the older girl murmured. "You were quite proficient yourself. Kirishima's no slouch when it comes to strength."

"Tell me about it. I almost broke my hand on Kirishima." Kitanai giggled softly, and just like that, the last reservations Yaoyorozu had had about meeting someone new were instantly gone, courtesy of what the Dashclaw hero considered the easiest trick in the book.

"Would you like to sit with me today?" asked the ravenette. "You'd fit right in with my group."

"Wouldn't miss it," replied Kitanai, her tiny grin belying her internal melting. _She's so CUTE!_

* * *

Sero picked up his friends' orders and ran back to Recovery Girl's office, where Ashido was sitting in a chair by Jaxon's bedside, a pencil to her chin. The tape hero placed the food on a table and glanced over at Jaxon. "Still asleep, huh?"

"Yeah, Recovery Girl said he'd be out a little longer. Hey, I gotta get this history thing done; you mind helping me?" asked Ashido.

"Sure." Sero stepped between Ashido and the hospital bed, looking worriedly at Jaxon.

Mistake.

Jaxon's eyes fluttered open. All he saw was a shock of dark brown hair, and that was all he needed to see to think the worst had happened. _No! You're not here!_ every piece of him thought at once as he reached forward and tried to grab Sero's throat. "Dad... go away!"

Sero let out a shriek and jumped back, nearly falling over Ashido's chair. "Hey, hey, no no no!" he exclaimed. "Whoa, man, it's me! Sero!"

Jaxon blinked a few times, still leaning forward in bed, then slumped back. "Sorry... you scared me."

"You must've had some wicked nightmare," remarked Ashido.

"Um... not exactly a nightmare." Jaxon looked up at the ceiling. "This is a long story; where do I begin?"

"About a year before my dad left, he had this obsession with training me. With tuning my power so that I could have as many abilities as possible. But he didn't seem to get that with every new 'Quirk' I manifested, a new part of my personality separated from my mind and developed its own consciousness. Most of my personalities came from around that time, and I've never felt so mentally broken before or since."

"One day, my dad came up to me with three Artifacts- you know, the things I told you I focused on for my power- and I had enough. I told him I wouldn't accept another personality until I could use my abilities without the need for the statues. A few months passed, and I mastered changing forms with my mind alone. But I realized then that I didn't want to be any more split than I already was. So I kept holding off on having new powers added to me."

"It was at this point when Dad really lost it. One night, he came into my room while I was trying to fall asleep. I saw the Artifact in his hand, and long story short, I yelled loud enough to wake the dead, let alone my mom. She came in and they had a spat right there about my dad's behavior, while I ran to the living room to sleep. The next day, Dad left."

Jaxon shuddered. "I can still remember his last words to me clear as day. 'I will come back for you, my son, and make you whole.' He said that, staring right into my eyes, and then turned and walked out."

Sero shivered, a chill running up his spine. "That's freaky," he murmured. "But what about your nightmare?"

"Let me finish. After Uta knocked me out... I got a message. Sort of in the form of a dream. I was telling Tsu earlier, my dad has a similar ability to mine, where he can turn different emotions into physical forms with different powers. Well, his Calm manifestation can travel through dreams for some reason. She sent me a vision..." Jaxon finished by describing his dream in detail, down to the final words of his father. Once that was over, he took a deep breath, oddly affected by how much he'd revealed. "It's just... worrying. I know he's still my dad, but after everything he did... I'm not sure I want to see him again, especially with what he said to me today."

Ashido surprised all three of them next. She reached across and gave Jaxon's hand a squeeze. "You won't have to," she reassured him. "We're right behind you."

"Yeah!" exclaimed Sero, patting his friend's shoulder. "I mean, we're heroes, right? It's our job to protect people, even other heroes! You're safe with Flex and..." He glanced over at Ashido. "What's your hero name gonna be again?"

"Alien Queen," Ashido replied.

Jaxon chuckled. "I wholeheartedly support that. You sure are a queen, and I'm not entirely convinced you're not an alien."

"Oh, you-" Blushing at the remark, the pink girl grabbed a pillow off her chair and gently hit Jaxon with it. "I'd send you to space if you weren't already hurt!"

"I'm sure." Jaxon sighed contentedly and lay back in his bed. "Man, you guys are awesome."

* * *

The rest of the day was a blur. Jaxon was released from Recovery Girl's office after lunch; she'd declared him safe from concussion once he'd done a simple test. The students were all over the place, talking about the Sports Festival.

Koda was walking through the hall back to 1-A's homeroom to get his backpack. He had to get home; he'd told his mom that he'd be back early. But an Angel of Music stopped him in his tracks. Kyoka Jiro was, in Koda's opinion, the most underrated girl in Class A. She had effortless charm despite (or perhaps because of) her indifference in daily life, yet somehow made being nice look easy.

 _She's so beautiful,_ thought Koda, watching her pass by him. Noticing his gaze, Jiro waved and smiled at him, but didn't stop. _Typical. She doesn't want to talk to me, and I can't talk to her._

Suddenly, though, Koda's self-keelhauling was interrupted by a tiny form crashing into him. Ju Kozeni bounced off of Koda's tree-trunk legs and toppled dizzily to the ground. The gun-arm wielder stood up, glanced behind him nervously, and looked up at Koda. "If Chada asks, you didn't see me," he whispered, quickly darting around Koda to get away.

Just as the animal boy was starting to wrap his head around Kozeni's words, a second member of Class C came up to him. "Koda, right?" asked Chada. Not waiting for a reply, the Boxer hero continued, "Man, the Sports Festival's gonna be awesome! You just watch, I'll nail the competition! Count to ten and they're OUTTA THERE! I'm so pumped! I gotta punch something! WHERE'S KOZENI WHEN YOU NEED HIM?!" And with that, Chada scurried off, looking for his pint-sized punching bag.

Koda shuddered, made summarily uncomfortable by the amount of new people he was meeting today. He ran into the classroom, grabbed his bag, and made his way out of the building and toward home.

* * *

Kinzoku Hataraki tucked a strand of perfectly straight silver hair behind her ear as she reached up to grab a reference book on physics off of the shelf in U.A.'s library. Her springs stretched out, and she easily snared the book she was looking for. But as she sank back to her resting position, she heard a phone's ringer go off.

"Sorry!" exclaimed a voice. Hataraki craned her neck around the aisle's corner to have a look at the culprit. A tall boy with tan skin, large lips, and black hair pulled his phone out of his pocket. 1-A's Rikido Sato. He had a book on baking in one hand-

 _No._

On further inspection through her zoom glasses, Hataraki realized that the book was not about baking. Rather, Sato had taken the jacket off of a cookbook and placed it on another book, which appeared to be a... Russian to Japanese dictionary? _What on earth could he want with that?_ Hataraki pulled her head back around the corner as Sato walked through. The boy acknowledged her with a smile and a nod, then hurried off, deeper into the stacks of books. And like the private detective she felt she resembled, the Springload hero followed suit. She finally stopped an aisle away from Sato, who opened his phone and began to speak in Russian. Hataraki instantly went into auto-translate mode, and what she heard chilled her to the bone.

"What do you want, Annika?" A pause. "Well, excuse me for trying to resemble a normal high school student in Japan. ...No, they don't. Why? ...What? That soon after the last? They can't do that. ...Yes, Annika, you have my word. ...Don't call me that. The last thing I want is your cold respect. Yes, you'll have a briefing in a few weeks. What- no, there's no girl! ...No, not that either, that's disgusting. ...For pity's sake, Annika, don't call me that..." He grunted and ended his call, lumbering out of the aisle. "Agent Sato... who does she think I am..." he muttered, returning to Japanese.

Hataraki held back a gasp. _Agent? For who?_ She waited until she knew he was out of earshot, then slowly padded her way out of the shelves and to the front desk of the library to check out her physics book. The situation wasn't clear enough to file a report on... but she would be keeping an eye on Rikido Sato.

* * *

By 5:00, most of the students had left. A few stragglers were milling about, walking to the bus stops so they could commute back to their provinces. Others were training for the Festival. Still others, mainly the General Studies kids, were studying up for future exams, since they didn't expect to get far in the Festival's competition.

But Class C's Pikkeru Ago was waiting.

At the entrance of the school, he stood patiently, his cavernous jaw set against itself, his blue eyes ever watchful, looking for a moment where no one was watching him from ground level. He didn't care about the cameras; they'd only be able to follow him for a few meters anyways. So he stood there, backpack slung over one shoulder, letting his tiny frame become one with the metalwork, until he saw an opening.

Then he left.

The waifish boy struck out on his own, glancing from left to right every once in a while. He had the city's layout memorized, and the task of getting to his destination was mere monotony at this point. After about a half an hour's hike, he stopped at the door of an old building, once a laundromat. Slipping inside, he dropped his backpack on the ground, reached into it, and pulled out a tan-and-black tunic. He changed from his school uniform into his civillian clothing, shoved the former into a washing machine, found a bottle of detergent nearby, and filled the washer's container with it. Letting out a grunt of effort, he reared back and kicked the washer, which suddenly roared to life on its own. Ago adjusted the settings on the washer and started it; then, after waiting fifteen minutes, the machine stopped and he pulled his uniform out. He laid it on a table in the back, making sure to smooth out any creases in it, then blew his ice over it. The shirt and pants froze solid in their positions, and Ago hung them on a nearby rack to thaw. He'd come back for the uniform tomorrow.

He picked up his backpack and left the building, turning right at the nearest intersection and following a straight path nearly three miles before coming to a familiar establishment: a bar that had long been a staple of delinquents and the down-and-outers of the city. Not a place for kids, especially timid, nonconfrontational ones like him.

But what Ago was going toward wasn't in the bar, but behind it.

Looking left and right to make sure no one was coming, he turned into the alleyway beside the bar, following it until he reached a pair of tents next to a Dumpster. He peeked his head into the first one, searching for the face he knew would be there.

"Mom? I'm back."

"Pikkeru, honey... _hic_... home already? Did school let out early?" Kasumi Ago rolled over on her sleeping bag and looked up into her son's eyes, a sheepish smile on her face.

 _I'm a half hour late,_ Pikkeru thought miserably, but he nodded and smiled back. "We've been training really hard for the Festival, so they let us go after lunch," he lied. Then he decided to torture himself a bit. "Speaking of- _clackclackclack-_ are you coming tomorrow?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," his mother replied, shifting her leg to the side. As coherent as she was trying to sound, she slurred several words in that one sentence. "Just think, my baby boy's finally going to be a hero!"

Pikkeru knew what Kasumi was doing with that subtle movement; she was trying to hide the bottle of wine she'd stolen from the bar nearby. He knew that he'd be taking that bottle, as well as the ones she'd stashed inside the dumpster, and selling them on the black market like he always did, to pay for his tuition. And just as well as he knew those things, he knew he wouldn't be seeing his mother at all tomorrow. She'd either sleep far too late or forget, one of the two. She always did. So as the sun made its way lower in the sky, he decided he was done prying. "I'm kind of tired," he murmured. "I'm going to get some rest, alright?"

"Nnn... alright, dear... goodnight..." whispered Kasumi, already on her way to her own personal dreamland.

Pikkeru pulled his head out of his mother's tent and walked over to his own. He ducked inside, slid into his sleeping bag, and lay down, looking up at the slowly-appearing stars through a hole in the tent's roof. "Goodnight, Mom," he whispered. "Goodnight, world."

* * *

Jaxon stumbled into his house, flanked by Ashido and Sero. His mother, Alondra, raced into the room the moment she heard the door close. "Jaxon, sweetheart, I heard about what happened to you! Are you alright?" she asked, grabbing his uniform and pulling it back to try to inspect his ribcage.

"Mom." Nothing. "Mom. MOM." Finally, Alondra stepped back and looked into her son's eyes. Face going beet-red, Jaxon let out a sigh. "I'm fine. Recovery Girl healed me. Did you forget she worked for the school?"

"Mrs. Shujenzi? Of course not! But you still can't be too careful these..." Slowly, she came to the realization that her son hadn't come home alone. "Oh! Who are your friends?" she asked excitedly.

Jaxon chuckled. "Mom, meet Mina Ashido and Hanta Sero, my best friends at U.A. They helped me walk home after my treatments, since Recovery Girl takes out whatever was left of your stamina to heal you..."

Sero started a phrase and a bow. "It's a pleasure, Sa-"

"Oh, please, it's Alondra! I've heard so much about you both; my boy's got glowing words about your friendship!" she exclaimed, reaching out and taking Sero's hand in both of hers. The tape boy blinked, a bit unnerved by the enthusiastic approach, but couldn't get anything out before Alondra turned her attention to Ashido. "And you! Goodness, such a cute face, such a unique hairstyle, such unforgettable eyes... You look like a keeper if I ever saw one!" she exclaimed, taking both of the pink girl's hands. Ashido's eyes widened when she heard that, but she kept herself from reacting, only giving a tiny grin.

"Mom!" exclaimed Jaxon, blushing even deeper. "I-it's not like that!" He glanced over at Ashido and grinned apologetically, then looked down at the ground.

"Aww, look, you've even got him acting all shy!" exclaimed Alondra, no stranger to her son's easily-flustered tendencies. "You two have to stay for dinner! I'm cooking, and I always make enough to feed the whole of Shizuoka!"

"Um..." Sero smiled, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I have to get home, actually. My parents only wanted me to drop Jax off and come right back. I have to rest up for the Festival, you understand..."

"Oh! Of course, of course!" Alondra exclaimed, waving her hands. "What kind of hero parent would I be to harm another student's performance?" She turned to Ashido. "Are you under the same constraints? I don't want to make any assumptions!"

"Yeah, I gotta get back... but I'll come over sometime, if that's alright with Jaxon." Ashido cursed herself inwardly for saying that, but if the schizophrenic noticed, he didn't say anything.

"You guys are welcome anytime," Jaxon murmured, turning toward his friends and offering a fist to each. "Thanks for helping me get home."

"No problem," replied Sero, bumping Jaxon's fist. "Good luck tomorrow!"

"Yeah," agreed Ashido. "It'll be a tough competition no matter what, but I think we can handle it!"

"See you guys tomorrow," Jaxon exclaimed as the two left.

The moment the door closed, Alondra stepped up to her son and eyed him intensely. "Do they know?" she murmured.

"Yeah. I told them after I got healed."

"You chose the right two. They'll support you through the whole thing. But if what you told me is true, your father must be nearby. Be careful."

"Don't worry about me. If he comes near me, I know what to do."

"Jaxon, I'm serious. We know how much you've progressed since he left... but we don't know how much, or if, _he_ has." Alondra grabbed her son's shoulder and took him to the kitchen. "I want you to explain the entire vision to me while we eat," she explained, already spooning rice and steak out of a pot and onto plates.

And so Jaxon told her everything he'd seen, down to the appearance of Rage. Alondra looked worried at that part. "His other mentals couldn't go through his Calm visions before. That's troubling... but we can handle it, especially just in a dream. So does it look like Colton will be coming directly for you?"

"I can't be sure." Jaxon sighed and took a bite of rice. "I'd have to guess that he's planning on giving me more personalities... more power."

 _Another one of us and the whole brain'll collapse,_ Leo muttered worriedly.

 _ACTUALLY,_ Cap chimed in, _IT WOULD TAKE FOUR MORE ADDITIONS FOR A MENTAL COLLAPSE TO OCCUR. ALTHOUGH THE PROSPECT OF HAVING TO LEARN EVEN ONE MORE NEW POWER IS WORRYING._

 _I've already collapsed,_ Chill said, in his usual deadpan. _Now it's just a matter of time before I hit the-_

 _Hey, gloom-and-doom, shut up,_ Leo snapped. _You're not helping. We got a real situation on our hands right now._

 _C-c-can we all j-just calm down?_ stammered Simi, who hated confrontation as much as he feared everything else. _I t-think infighting is t-the last thing we n-need right now._

Jaxon clutched his head with both hands. "I'm not feeling good," he murmured. "My selves are arguing again... I think I just need some sleep."

"Jaxon, dear... If that's what you need, then off to bed you go. But please... be mindful, alright? If he comes back-"

"I know. Whatever means necessary. Bring him into custody." Jaxon nodded as he stood up and went to the cupboard to get a plastic container for the rest of his meal. "Thanks, Mom. Goodnight." He stretched, rubbed his temples, and went to his room. He glanced out the window. A crescent moon overlooked the world.

 _Reminds me of my own blade,_ remarked Deverius. _It really has been too long since I let loose with Twilight. I look forward to getting some exercise tomorrow._

 _Yeah,_ Leo agreed excitedly. _Let's kick some grass!_

There was a collective groan from the forms, and Jaxon sighed as he went through his nightly routine. He finally climbed into bed, turned off his light, and closed his eyes to a sweet, simple _nothing._ No dreams, no visions... just darkness.


End file.
